Are You Gonna Let Her Get Away?
by SilentCynara
Summary: Workaholic Syaoran is beginning to wonder if he'll be a bachelor for life when he meets Sakura Kinomoto, who makes him want to give up the single life. Can they find their way to a happy ending despite the meddling of a terrible matchmaking trio?
1. Chapter 1

Summary: Workaholic Syaoran Li has no time for love, and is beginning to wonder if he'll be a bachelor for life when he meets Sakura Kinomoto, a foreigner, who makes him want to give up the single life. Can they find their way to a happy ending?

_**Author's Note: **__Thank you to everyone who read "Intersections: The Story of Three Feathers" and "Body Memories". Here's a light, fluffy story set in the "real world" for your enjoyment :) No magic, just two people falling in love...or so I hope!_

**Disclaimer**: I do not own the CCS characters.

**The One That Got Away**

_**She's Going to Drive Me Nuts**_

It was not a good start to the morning. Not even lunch time, and Syaoran Li, executive vice president of the Li Group of Companies and immediate heir of the Li clan, was already being nagged by his bossy cousin Meiling. "She's perfect, you know. She can copy edit, and she can fix any crappy article. You have to meet her! I want to hire her to do the editing for my travel magazine," she insisted.

Meiling was hard to resist. In addition to a temper that could explode at any moment, she was highly persuasive. She was used to getting her way because she was imperious and beautiful. Men tended to obey her without question because she had eyes that flashed the gamut of colors from red to maroonish-brown, long lashes, raven hair that reached nearly to her waist, delicate cheekbones and lips, and smooth, creamy skin.

Unfortunately she was face to face with the one man who could resist her charms and threats. It came from a lifetime of being bullied by her.

"Meiling...you know what my schedule is like," Syaoran groaned. "I barely get four hours' worth of sleep every night..." He ran his hands through his hair in frustration, realized what he was doing, then tried to fix the damage he'd done.

Too late. Nothing would tame his unruly chestnut hair: not gel, not mousse, not even a flat iron (and that had been a disaster). "Come on, Meiling! Cut me some slack," he said.

And he quickly dodged when Meiling aimed a punch at him. "I swear you're going to die a virgin, Syaoran!"

No way was Syaoran going to touch that line, not even with the proverbial ten foot pole.

Meiling sighed. "Syaoran, at least come out and get out more. You're going to become transparent from staying indoors all the time! Think of your marriage prospects! At least go out and see some real women!"

"What, you're not a real woman?" And he earned another punch for the quip.

When he was sure she wasn't going to hit him again, Syaoran ventured, "What marriage prospects?" Meiling raised an eyebrow. "Between Mom's meddling, my schedule, and, may I add, my cousins' peskiness," and he stared pointedly at Meiling, "I am going to die a bachelor. Besides, women don't go for men who look like plants kept in the dark."

Meiling huffed in exasperation. Her cousin had no idea of how attractive he was to women...mainly because he hadn't dated in years. Syaoran was tall, with a body kept trim with regular basketball and soccer games with company employees, most of whom were his friends and who could see past his gruff, somewhat abrupt exterior to the kind person he was. His brown eyes could turn mischievous, not that he'd had reason to have them do so in the past five years or so.

He was also considered a great catch across Japan (to which most of their clan had moved after the 1997 handover of Hong Kong to China). To escape the constant blind dates and the paparazzi, he'd buried himself in work. It backfired; now the tabloids were speculating that he might be gay.

"It's just lunch, for crying out loud. You need to approve her hiring." Meiling stood there, hands on hips and a fierce expression on her face, one that Syaoran knew meant business.

"Oh all right," he agreed wearily, and again, his hand ran up to his hair. He'd already had his mother Yelan on his case about finding a suitable bride ("You're already twenty-five, how about my grandchildren?"), his partner Eriol convincing him that they should branch out into television ("It's time to step into the twenty-first century, cousin!"), the board of directors nagging at him to find out who was responsible for the missing remittances from some bookstores ("You must take steps to begin an investigation!"), and now, Meiling insisting that he personally meet this woman. Not to mention he had to review the front page layout of their newspaper, the Nippon Picayune, and entertain the guests his mother regularly invited to visit the office on Mondays.

It was only 10:30 am.

All in a day's work for the heir to the Li clan fortune.

Meiling smirked, then said, "You be there at 1230. I booked a table at Sunburst. It's five minutes away, so you better not be late!"

0-0-0

But Syaoran _**was**_ late. His cousin Eriol had brought in some documents which covered the financial viability of buying out Channel 88.

Eriol was very different from Syaoran. Also tall and well-built, he was slightly paler than Syaoran, but this gave him an otherworldly look. He had startling midnight blue eyes behind his glasses, a strong jaw, raven hair like Meiling's, and a deep, rich voice. He was also a master of manipulation; when there were large mergers or deals to be made, Syaoran made sure to have Eriol around because Eriol's smooth manners made up for his own rough, slightly brusque demeanor among strangers.

Today, Eriol had reinforcements: the fashion-obsessed Tomoyo Daidouji, the vice president for finance, whom Syaoran knew was dying to redo the channel lineup and (surprise, surprise) add a heavy fashion slant to the whole thing.

Syaoran grimaced when he remembered the New Year costume ball plans Tomoyo was pressing on him. He'd been arguing against it, but when faced with a determined Tomoyo, it was easier to try to break a concrete wall down with a plastic fork.

It wasn't until Syaoran looked at his watch (a cheap plastic Nike watch, bought more to irritate his mother than anything else) and realized that it was almost one o'clock that he was able to tear himself away by invoking Meiling's name. Even Eriol didn't dare cross their fiery-tempered cousin- the consequences were too humiliating.

When Eriol had made the mistake of criticizing Meiling's handling of her travel magazine a few years ago, Eriol had come to work to find a large photograph of him as a child in the Li Tower lobby...in which he was clutching a teddy bear and a security blanket while sucking on his thumb.

_**God, what's she gonna do to me for being late? **_Syaoran shuddered, and picked up the pace. He took the express elevator down from Li Tower and ignored his waiting limousine, sprinting the four blocks to Sunburst. The cool November air stung his nostrils as he ran, and he was reminded of another Christmas approaching. He cursed, knowing Christmas didn't mean parties and presents for him; it meant more work organizing office parties, charities, and other things for his mother. _**Thank goodness I wore loose slacks today**_, he thought. He smirked; his fondness for casual clothing irritated Yelan Li no end.

Again he blessed the gods for not having bodyguards; that had caused quite a flareup between him and his mother, because she was worried about the triad gangs or the Yakuza threatening her only son. Syaoran held firm because he wanted an illusion of freedom in his life.

"You're late!" snarled Meiling as he rushed up to her table. Syaoran rolled his eyes, pulled up a chair...and stopped.

Sitting in the chair next to the one he had chosen was a woman with heart-stopping jade-green eyes flecked with gold, long curling honey-gold locks, and an open, friendly expression on her face. She looked up at him and smiled. Syaoran fought to control his jaw, which was threatening to hit the floor. How would that look? _**Completely uncool, that's what.**_

"This is Sakura Kinomoto," Meiling said. "Sakura, this is my tardy cousin Syaoran Li."

He nodded gruffly, and reached out a hand. She took it in hers and shook it firmly. Syaoran felt his palm grow cold, and prayed she would let go before he began to sweat. _**What's wrong with me? I've never reacted to a woman this way before!**_

_**Oh, wait, I'm a dork without a life. Of course the first beauty who crosses my path is going to make me all sweaty.**_

Sakura said, "It's great to meet you. I'd love to work part-time for your company. It'll be a good addition to my credentials." She reached down nervously and handed a buff folder to Syaoran. He was looking at her blankly, and Sakura became more nervous. _**I think he doesn't like the way I look, or something. He hasn't taken his eyes off me. Oh no!**_

Syaoran cleared his throat. "Certainly. But if Meiling recommends you, then your qualifications must be excellent. When can you start?"

Behind him he could hear Meiling squealing, "I won't forget this, thanks, Syaoran!"

_**Thank you too**_, he thought.

"Monday next week? I promise, you won't regret this! Thank you!" Sakura said happily.

They ordered, and Syaoran was amused to note that Sakura happily ordered the fried chicken with fries. _**Ah, she's not afraid to eat, unlike some other women**_. There was something appealingly childlike about her, and he was content to listen to her stories of the weirder students she had at the university, where she was teaching two courses.

"...and then he just looked out the window and said, 'Ma'am, the answer is out there!'" Sakura and Meiling hooted in laughter. "I mean, he could've just said he didn't read the damned book but NO, he had to be profound!"

Syaoran found himself smiling a bit at her stories, something he rarely did these days. And when Sakura turned to him and addressed some of the punch lines to him, he began to forget his duties for the rest of the day.

There was a brief tussle between Meiling and Syaoran over who would pay the bill. Meiling won when she hissed at Syaoran that she would set him up with a society girl she knew Syaoran detested. "I'll send her to your office!" she threatened.

But Sakura looked at her watch, then stood up. "Oh gosh, I have to get back to the university. Thank you for lunch, Meiling, Syaoran. I'll come in on Monday morning, around ten. Is that OK?"

"Erm. Sure." Syaoran was proud that his voice didn't break or waver; nonetheless, he was astounded when, after Sakura kissed Meiling goodbye, she bent down, touched his shoulder lightly, and planted a light kiss on his cheek as well. He would never forget the berry-like scent of her, the soft touch of her lips, and how her hair brushed against his face.

"I...uh...bye," he said. _**My God, why are my cheeks burning? It's like I'm ten years old! **_As Meiling walked Sakura out of Sunburst, he touched his cheek where Sakura had kissed it. It was burning.

_**That girl is going to drive me nuts**_, he thought.

Meiling returned, and noticed Syaoran's distant stare. "Sorry she kissed you. She's like that, a bit too friendly. She didn't mean anything by it. She's not Chinese like us, you know."

And Syaoran could not explain why his heart sank at what she said.

**The Coolness of Night Air**

Syaoran couldn't help it; he turned on the monitors he kept in his office and watched the main entrance to Li Tower at around ten AM on Monday morning. He told himself he was just checking on security...as he always did...every...never. _**Stop fooling yourself, Li!**_

He'd been in his office for nearly three hours now; he usually came in early and left late, because if he was out of the house before his mother could nag him, and home by the time she fell asleep, things were usually better.

_**I need a life**_, he groaned, and ran his hands through his hair. He'd been reduced to watching the Discovery Channel when he was home, because he was often so tired, he couldn't sleep.

Syaoran glanced at the mirror mounted on one of the walls of his office (in violation of some feng shui rule which, again, had driven his mother crazy), and gulped. His unruly brown hair insisted on rising a few inches above his head; he was clearly fighting a losing battle to tame it.

She was starting today; he'd made sure Meiling arranged for Sakura to have her own cubicle on one of the quieter floors of Li Tower. She'd given him a strange look, and said, "Are you aware she's only working with us part-time?" And he'd made sure it was a cubicle within the line of sight of one of their security cameras.

_**What's wrong with me? **_Syaoran stood up and looked outside his window. _**I'm being childish and silly**_, he thought. _**Who is this woman anyway? **_According to Sakura's resume, she was born on April 1 and was twenty-four—just about two years younger than him—a graduate of Tokyo University who had been working at part-time jobs since she was sixteen. She lived a few blocks away from the university.

And he had added her mobile and home phone numbers to his SmartPhone.

He couldn't remember responding this way to a woman in the past. He'd dated; he'd even had women in bed, but they'd seemed to just pass through his life without leaving a strong impression. But Sakura—and he snorted at himself for using the cliche—was a breath of fresh air in a life taken up with duty, duty, and more duties.

_**What is it about her? **_he wondered. _**The wide-open smile, the trusting demeanor, her irrepressible cheerfulness...I don't even know her that well, what am I doing?**_

Syaoran pressed the button on his intercom to summon one of his secretaries.

"Yes, Mr. Li?"

For the life of him, Syaoran couldn't recall the name of the new secretary in charge of office affairs, so he said, "Please go to the eighteenth floor at 10 am and orient the new editor, Sakura Kinomoto. Give her the tour of the building, then bring her to me. When you do so, bring back issues of Travel with you so that we can discuss her duties."

"Yes, sir."

It was almost lunch time when Syaoran heard a soft knock on his office door. It was Sakura, and she smiled when she saw him. This time though, she seemed somewhat embarrassed.

"Come in," Syaoran invited, a bit stiffly. "Have a seat," and he indicated the large, plush chairs in front of his large office table.

"Erm...Syao...I mean, Mr. Li...about last week, I'm so sorry about...about taking liberties with you." Syaoran looked up; Sakura was blushing. "Please, I meant no harm by it."

Syaoran stared into her lovely eyes, then cleared his throat. He looked away; it wouldn't do for him to smile like an idiot. "Don't worry about it," he said gruffly. "Please, come with me. Let's talk about your duties with the other editors at lunch. And...just call me Syaoran."

"Okay," and she smiled gratefully, "Syaoran."

He cleared his throat to try and prevent his cheeks from reddening. "Let's head for the conference room. Follow me," Syaoran said.

In silence, they walked through the corridors of Li Tower until they arrived at a large hall with a huge rectangular table. Through the glass window, they could see Meiling, Eriol, Tomoyo, and some of the senior editors. Syaoran felt how Sakura began to shrink into herself, clearly intimidated by the presence of the experienced editors.

He was surprised when she reached out for his sleeve, tugging on it faintly, before he opened the door. Sakura looked up at him, clearly uncertain and nervous.

Again, he cleared his throat. _**How many times am I going to do this today? **_"Relax. It's going to be okay," he said. _**Why do I have to sound so gruff? Why can't I be smooth and debonair, like Eriol?**_

Sakura looked up at him gratefully. "Thank you." And she squeezed his hand, smiled, let go, then let him lead her into the room. Syaoran took the seat near the head of the table, and Sakura was placed across him.

Tomoyo watched the new editor with interest. Had Syaoran been holding her hand before they came in? Not only was the girl pretty in a wholesome way, she noticed how her old friend Syaoran was watching her shyly, something he had never done before. "Ah, an opportunity," she smiled to herself.

Sakura learned that she was to edit and occasionally rewrite articles for Meiling's magazine, "Travel", and to copyedit some sections for the Nippon Picayune. Her schedule was free; she could even work at home if she wanted to. She could barely conceal her smile; this would augment her salary at the unversity, and let her work with one of the biggest newspapers in Japan. _**Oh if only my brother Touya could see how far the 'monster' has come!**_ she thought joyfully.

She felt Syaoran's eyes on her at odd intervals, and began to worry that he might not fully believe in her capabilities, so she tried to smile at him every time he did that. And each time, his eyes would fly wide open and he would clear his throat. _**Have I annoyed him?**_ _**But he was so nice at the door, **_she thought.

Syaoran, for his part, gave up on trying to ignore her at the meeting. He couldn't take his eyes off her, so he held up the folder containing the daily reports and pretended to be perusing them when he was peering at her from the top of the folder.

Only Tomoyo noticed that the folder was upside-down. She smiled when she caught Syaoran's eye, and subtly gestured towards the folder. Syaoran finally looked at what he was holding, then realized what he'd done, turning crimson. When the meeting broke up, Syaoran bolted from the room. Sakura watched him leave, a faint "Hoeee?" rising from her lips.

Then she felt a soft pair of hands on her arm. The gorgeous vice president, Tomoyo Daidouji, was smiling at her, violet eyes warm and welcoming.

"Sakura, right? I'm Tomoyo. I think you'll like it here."

"Everyone's been so nice to me—Meiling, Syaoran..."

"Syaoran?" Tomoyo's smile widened even further. This was getting good. Syaoran was "Mr. Li" or "Boss" to everyone in the company save for those closest to him. And now this new girl was calling him by his first name?

"Yes, Syaoran Li? Meiling's cousin?"

"Ah." A pause, then, "Would you be interested in writing for a fashion channel?"

"Huh? Do the Lis have a fashion channel?"

"Not yet," Tomoyo was unable to keep her grin from spreading. "But I'd like to hire you to write the proposal for the fashion channel I'm planning."

"Really? That would be great!" Sakura's eyes sparkled, and Tomoyo felt momentarily guilty for using this pretty girl to win Syaoran over. _**But all's fair in love and war...and fashion!**_

"When you're free later—say around five or six—could you please come up to my office on the 37th floor? Thank you!" Tomoyo took her leave, and couldn't stop grinning on her way to Eriol's office.

Eriol looked up as the dark-haired vice president entered his office. "You're way too happy. What's up? I knew you were coming here."

"You noticed how Syaoran was staring at that new editor?"

A slow smile spread across Eriol's face. "Oh yeah. Why?"

"We're going to get Channel 88, and she's gonna help us."

"She's the reason why he fled quickly after the meeting? And I thought Madam Yelan had commanded him or something," Eriol steepled his fingers in front of him, and broadened his grin. Blackmail material...something he loved more than anything else in the world...especially if it was on Syaoran.

"There's more. She just called him 'Syaoran', and I think he was holding her hand when they entered the meeting hall."

"Oh you guys," Meiling had just entered, and caught the tail end of their conversation. "Should've asked me. She kissed him last week," Meiling grinned.

"What?"

"Yep, a light smack on the cheek. He turned beet red."

"Why did she kiss him?"

"Foreigner- I mean, not Chinese like us—er, sorry, Tomoyo. Bit too affectionate," Meiling shrugged.

Tomoyo and Eriol broke into similar Cheshire-cat grins.

"Oh no. What are you two planning now?" Meiling looked at them suspiciously.

"Why, dear cousin? Don't trust us?" Eriol's voice was like syrup on pancakes.

"No way! If you're planning to 'get' Syaoran, then I demand to be in on it!" And Meiling slammed the door to Eriol's office, pulled up a chair, and propped her sleek, stockinged legs on Eriol's mahogany table.

Had Syaoran seen the identical grins on their faces, he would've fled for another continent.


	2. Catch Us We're Falling!

**Chapter Two: ****Catch Us, We're Falling!**

_**Thank you to everyone who reviewed! Author's notes and sneak peek at chapter 3 at the end :D**_

**Plots And Plans and Poor Syaoran**

_**What I would give for a normal day! **_Syaoran thought as the fire alarm went off on his floor. There were shouts and yells in the corridor, and he leaned back wearily in his office chair. Someone seemed to have had an accident with the microwave, and Syaoran was already thinking of the cost of renovating the pantry. _**It never ends**_, he sighed.

He caught himself thinking, _**I wonder if Sakura knows about the fire? **_Then he shook his head to clear the thought. _**I am stupid, stupid, stupid**_. Syaoran dragged his hands through his hair, and stared out his window at the Tokyo skyline, wishing he could fly away from it all. _**Preferably with Sakura in my arms...What the hell? Shut up, Li!**_

Then someone burst into his office. All Syaoran caught was a glimpse of dark hair before he was hauled out of his chair and practically hurled into the elevator.

"We're not supposed to take the elevator in case of fire," he mumbled, trying to fix his rumpled shirt and tie. A pair of dark blue eyes accompanied by a large grin met his confused look, and he knew he was in trouble.

"Did you set off the alarm?" Syaoran accused.

"Why cousin, do you think I would stoop that low?" Eriol drawled, keeping a firm grip on Syaoran's scruff.

"Hell yeah...Oi! Hey! Let me go!" Syaoran yelled at Eriol, who was dragging him to the Li Tower executive parking area. Though they were the same age, Syaoran was leaner, and Eriol about an inch or so taller and more solid, which allowed Eriol an advantage in the strength department. Syaoran dug in his heels, like a small boy, then said, "I still have to review the proofs for the Christmas supplement! Stop it, Eriol!"

"Don't worry. I had Sakura take a look at them," Eriol waited for Syaoran to freeze at the mention of Sakura's name, and he did. _**So predictable, cousin! Don't worry, we've got plans for you two tonight.**_

Eriol calmly continued dragging Syaoran to his waiting convertible. He saw Syaoran frown; he had never approved of Eriol's penchant for expensive things, and this BMW Z3 definitely displeased Syaoran.

Which pleased Eriol.

"Don't make me bring out the big guns, Syaoran," Eriol said smoothly. "Meiling is just one phone call away. We're just going to the mall."

"I have work to do!" Syaoran ran his hands agitatedly through his hair. "Mother is going to be displeased..."

"Syaoran." Eriol's voice was low. "Every now and then you should at least pretend you have a life of your own." He looked Syaoran straight in the eye for a few seconds, then abruptly smiled. "Oh, and stop doing that to your hair."

"What does going to a mall have to do with _**that**_?" Syaoran practically yelled. Before he could run his hands through his hair again, Eriol firmly gripped his wrists, shoved him into the car, and took off.

Syaoran sat staring firmly out of his side. His amber eyes were afire with frustration, because he had been hoping to review the proofs with Sakura—an excuse to be alone with her.

It had been a month since she'd begun coming in to the office three times a week, and Syaoran had found every excuse to talk to her at least once each time she was there. Or twice. Or thrice. Syaoran's already tousled hair was getting messier because he kept running his hands through it, and his throat was going raw from all the throat-clearing he was doing whenever Sakura was near.

It was humiliating to realize that he was making up excuses to see her. But it was worth it. Several days ago, when he'd found out she liked Star Wars, he'd called her in to "discuss" her suggestions for the handling of a new campus beat section...again...then casually (or so he hoped) mentioned he had an original model of a Starfighter, bought from LucasFilm. Sakura had squealed, grabbed his arm, and insisted on seeing it.

In the elevator, Sakura had leaned in, then tiptoed up to touch his cheek playfully. He was a good head or so taller than her. She was grinning, and was about to say something. Syaoran felt his cheeks burning again, so he cleared his throat, and asked, "What?"

Unfortunately, the word came out abruptly, roughly. _**Idiot, that came out wrong. **_He mentally kicked himself when Sakura's smile faltered.

"Am I being a pest?" Her beautiful green eyes were hidden behind thick brown lashes, and she hung her head. She couldn't explain, not for the life of her, why she was dreaming of Syaoran these days, why she was inhaling his pleasant clean scent, why she had just tried to touch his face. And why he had answered her in that way. _**I must really be annoying to him**_, she thought sadly.

"No! Not at all. I just...I mean...You..." Syaoran was going red, so he turned his back to Sakura, and was grateful when the elevator stopped at the penthouse.

"Ah! Here we are. Follow me!" And he walked quickly out of the elevator, forgetting his manners, and letting Sakura trail behind him because he was blushing violently. _**Ah, no, not now, and not in front of her!**_

Sakura followed him quietly, embarrassed that she had insisted on him showing her his collection. _**I haven't gotten to a good start with him, have I? **_She hated that she liked him so, when they'd only known each other for such a short time. It didn't make sense. _**And he thinks I'm a pest**_, she added glumly. _**No surprise there; I think I turn guys off. **_Her track record with boys in college was so dismal, even her brother had actually tried to set her up once. And that date should've entered the Guinness entries for "unqualified disasters", the least problem of which was that the guy had decided to start flirting with another girl...while he was picking her up!

_**But I don't want to lose Syaoran's friendship**_, she thought determinedly. _**If I can just be his friend, I'll be okay**_. But her heart told her it was a lie; when she looked into his amber eyes, she wanted to drown in them. When she saw him run his fingers through his messy hair, she wanted to entwine hers in his chocolate locks. And now, walking behind him, she fought the urge to touch him gently.

Syaoran stopped in front of double doors of oak, then used a key to open the doors to his private collection. Unable to think of what to say, he stood back to let her in, and gestured at Sakura to come in. She did, shyly, and Syaoran watched Sakura explore the room, feeling a strange tug on his heartstrings. _**Why can't I ever get it right with her?**_

"Wow..." Her eyes opened wide as she saw the glass cases of memorabilia. "Amazing!" She stood reverently in front of the Starfighter model for several minutes, then wandered around, touching a few cases here and there, making pleased little murmurs when she encountered Muppets puppets ("Ooh, it's Oscar the Grouch!"), a bust of Buffy the Vampire Slayer ("Wow, she's so beautiful and strong!"), a glass-covered copy of the first Elektra and Daredevil comic (sigh). She gasped, then jumped backward upon seeing the model of The Predator with a soft, "Hoe!"

She lost her balance, and Syaoran flew across the room to catch her, praying that his rusty martial arts skills would let him catch her. He did, just in time to keep her from hitting her head on the edge of a glass case. _**Oh thank God! **_

He didn't realize how close he was holding her until he heard a faint "Hoe?" near his neck. Syaoran opened his brown eyes and found himself staring down into Sakura's great green ones. Neither of them breathed. Sakura looked at Syaoran closely this time, and felt her heart jump. His skin was unexpectedly smooth, his nose upturned nicely. And his eyes...the color made her think of old coins and bronze statues. They were even more breathtaking up close, especially since his gaze was soft and tender.

In the stillness of the room, Sakura thought, _**No one has ever looked at me the way Syaoran does**_. She opened her eyes when she felt his breath near her mouth, their noses almost touching.

In the back of his head, Syaoran could almost hear his mother screaming at him. Something about being too forward, being too aggressive. He blocked her voice out because it was intoxicating to be this close to the woman who was looking up at him trustingly, searching her face for any sign of feeling for him.

She could almost feel his lips against hers. They were so close...Sakura closed her eyes again, praying Syaoran would...

...jump up and pull her upright, all the while pretending to dust her off. A cleaning woman stood at the door, looking confused.

"Master Li?"

Syaoran turned to face the woman, who was so frightened at having disturbed him that she didn't notice how his cheeks were flushed a bright red.

"My apologies sir, but it was the scheduled time to clean..."

"No, no...carry on." Syaoran edged towards the door, leaving a hurt and bewildered Sakura standing in the middle of the room. He was almost out the door when he remembered her, and was instantly sorry when he saw her expression.

_**He saw something he didn't like**_, Sakura thought dully. _**Maybe my nostrils are too big. Maybe I have something in my eye. Maybe he thinks I'm ugly. But he was about to kiss me, right? We were so close...**_

Syaoran's voice brought her back to herself. "Sorry...I...I had to catch you. You were falling," he said. _**That had to be a record for lameness, Li! **_"Er, time to go back for me. Shall we?" And he hemmed, wincing when the sensation rasped against his already tender throat.

_**So it was just me imagining things**_, Sakura thought. _**I am such an idiot**_.

"Uh...yeah. Thanks, for showing me. Sorry for the bother."

And their ride back down to their respective floors was quiet. It was an hour later, when Syaoran was reviewing what had happened in his mind, that he realized how thoughtless he must have seemed to Sakura. He'd caught himself banging his head on his desk in frustration, muttering, "Idiot!" over and over.

**The Terrible Trio's Trap is Sprung**

Syaoran was brought out of his reverie when Eriol's voice cut across him. "Don't you trust me?" Eriol parked the car in front of the mall entrance—he'd always had the devil's luck with parking—and turned to his sullen cousin.

"Nope. Not a whit," Syaoran crossed his arms. "You've got something in mind, and I'm not going to be..." He was cut off when Eriol dragged him out of the car and into Madam Haruka's, one of the swankiest parlors in town.

"Oh no," and Eriol chuckled as Syaoran actually went pale. "I...You can't!" And he grabbed onto Eriol's coat lapels. "Get me out of here!"

"Oh yes he can," a familiar female voice hissed in his ear. Meiling stood there, smirking. She bent down and whispered, "Or I'll tell your mom that you like someone. You know what she'll do."

Syaoran knew only too well, and looked up at her in horror. "I don't...what...no..."

"So eloquent, isn't he?" Eriol brushed off his lapels, where Syaoran had had a death grip on them earlier. "I've done my part. Your turn, Meiling."

Meiling turned to the top stylist who had been hovering over them. "I want him to get a good haircut. Oh, there you are, Tomoyo," and she smiled.

"I'll get him a nice, smart casual wardrobe for him to try on in here," Tomoyo said sweetly.

"Who's running the damned office?" Syaoran squeaked.

"Eriol is with your staff right now. Don't worry. That's what the staff is for, and that's why we pay them well," Meiling grinned, then barked out Syaoran's body measurements and clothes sizes to one of Tomoyo's bodyguards as he was dragged off for a shampoo.

As he was being shampooed, Meiling grabbed his SmartPhone from his pocket and canceled his appointments until 6 pm, over his protests. Then she dropped Syaoran's phone into her bag.

It was like drowning in a whirlpool of air. Every time Syaoran tried to protest, Meiling shot him a death-ray glare and held up her cell phone, on which his mother's number was clearly visible and ready for dialing. When the stylist poised his scissors over Syaoran's hair, he wasn't even consulted; it was Meiling who said, "Layer that mop a bit, give it some definition. And maybe shorten the length a bit?"

"Hey...hey!"

"Shut up, Sya-syao," she mocked him with his childhood nickname. "You don't know jack about style, and it's about time you got some."

"But why does it have to be now? Ouch!" Because he'd been squirming, the stylist had pulled some of his hair by accident.

Meiling ignored him, then when the haircut was done, she spun him around to look at himself.

_**Not bad**_, Syaoran thought. _**I look human**_. The tousled hair looked neater, and more fashionable, as if he'd mussed it on purpose. Better still, the haircut made him look younger, bringing out his cheekbones and his eyes.

No sooner had he climbed out of the chair than he was assaulted with a pile of clothing. Tomoyo forced him to try on three tuxes, several dress shirts, slacks, trousers, and even something that looked suspiciously like a prince's costume. Syaoran gave up and meekly subjected himself to Meiling and Tomoyo's brutal assessments of how a shirt played up his flat abs, or made him look like an old dork. He drew the line, though, when Meiling spun him around and commented to Tomoyo, "These slacks look good on his butt, ne?"

"If SHE likes this on his butt, then we will have succeeded!" Tomoyo's laughter pealed across the room.

"That's enough!" Syaoran almost tore off the shirt as he stomped to the dressing room, where he removed the offending pants. He put his white shirt, blue tie, and black slacks back on, and trudged towards the exit.

"Wait, Syaoran, there's still the shoes!"

Not for nothing had Syaoran been a champion sprinter in high school. He dodged through the crowd, quickly sidestepping anyone in his way. He quickly lost the two giggling women and flagged a cab to take him back to Li Tower, thrusting a large note at the astounded cabbie without bothering to wait for change, and taking the express elevator to his office. _**I hope I'm not too far behind in my work for today!**_

He stopped short. No one was in the reception area; his secretaries had gone home. But the light was on in his private office. Who the hell had let that person in? Had to be a secretary, because only he and his secretaries had the electronic cards that granted entry into his office. He strode in, prepared to tell the intruder off, when she raised her green eyes to him.

_**Sakura.**_

She lit up when she saw him. She was reviewing the proofs for the Christmas shopping supplement, making the occasional red pencil correction here and there. She was almost done.

"Wow. I like your haircut, Syaoran," she smiled.

"Uh..." and he barely stopped himself from running his hands through his hair, "thanks." And he cleared his throat when she reached up and swept some hair off his forehead.

"There you go," she said cheerfully. "Looking good!"

_**She smells like fresh berries**_, Syaoran thought. She gently caught his arms and turned him to face the mirror. "See?" Then Sakura dug into her pockets. "Here..." and she handed him a small tin of orange-flavored throat lozenges. "I know you don't smoke, so I guess you should see a doctor. But these taste good and they've got honey, great for a sore throat."

Syaoran was silent for several seconds, and Sakura was beginning to wonder if she'd insulted him. He took the tin from her outstretched hand, and mumbled, "Thanks." _**Why can't I be confident around her? I can't lose this opportunity!**_

_**Is there anything she can do that won't make me happy? **_Syaoran wondered. _**I should make a move...I should show her soon! **_He smiled, and turned to Sakura. "I was wondering..." he said, just as she said, "I wanted to tell you..."

"Oh, sorry. You first," she smiled.

"N..no, I'm sorry," Syaoran stammered. "Please, you first."

An excruciating exchange was avoided when the lights on their floor suddenly died, and the electronic door to Syaoran's office clicked shut ominously.

"HOE!!!" Sakura screamed, and jumped again. This time, Syaoran was ready, and he caught her quickly. She was soft and warm in his arms, and she didn't pull away; instead, she nestled her head against his chest, breathing hard and whimpering. _**She's this afraid of the dark? **_Syaoran wondered. Her breath was hitching, and she was clutching his shirt in fear.

"Sshh," Syaoran said gently. "I've got you. It's okay."

**The Watchers**

Two floors below them, in the master power room, Eriol smirked as he let go of the power switch for Syaoran's floor. It was now in the "OFF" position. He dialed Meiling's number, then dialed Tomoyo's number for a conference call.

"Project Get-Them-Together, Phase Two accomplished," he said when Meiling and Tomoyo said, "Hello?"

"They're trapped in his office?" Tomoyo squealed.

"Definitely. Overnight okay with you two?"

"Of course," Meiling said. "Tomoyo made sure his office bar was stocked with food and water before she left. And Sakura's purse is in the reception area. Plus, I've got Syaoran's phone. Damned thing has a password, though."

"Try spelling out S-A-K-U-R-A on the number pad," Eriol suggested.

A pause, then, "Nope. He's not that obvious," Meiling chided her cousin.

"What I'd give to know what they're doing now," Eriol chuckled. "Too bad he doesn't allow cameras in his office."

"Inside, dear Eriol. Not outside," Tomoyo let out a high-pitched giggle.

"You didn't," Meiling said in an awed tone.

"Oh yes I did. It's a passive camera, with a limited range for visual and audio, but I think that will do, ne?"

"You rule, Daidouji," Eriol said. "How much for the tapes?"

"Depends. I prefer favors, you know," she said smugly. "Now let's meet in my condo in thirty minutes and watch them. I'm making popcorn. Live feed's been hooked up to my big screen."

Meanwhile, Sakura had calmed down after Syaoran crooned soothingly to her, and stroked her hair. She began to breathe normally, and released her grip on Syaoran's shirt.

A gentle voice in her ear asked, "Better?"

She drew a deep breath. _**I am such a loser. I just had to spaz out in front of the guy I'm crushing on. Thank God he's nice!**_

"Yeah. I...I just hate darkness."

"I'm here. Don't worry," Syaoran said as he made a note to ask her about her fear of darkness some other time. "Someone should be coming for us in a bit. Stay here, I'll try to get us out." He strode over to the doors, and tried to open them. No go. He reached in his pocket, then remembered that Meiling had his phone.

Worried, Syaoran dashed to the windows. The bright lights of Tokyo Tower and the rest of the city were still ablaze. _**What the hell?**_

"Sakura? Have you got a cell phone?"

"No, my purse is outside, in the reception area."

Syaoran opened one window a bit, and looked down. The rest of Li Tower's lights were still on. Possibilities ran through his mind: sabotage? Someone who knew he would be alone at this hour? A kidnap attempt?

"Syaoran?"

"Sakura. We're on the only floor without power," Syaoran's voice was calm, but urgent. "I don't like this. I want us to move behind my desk." He gently guided her behind his large desk and they sat down in the recess behind it. Quietly, Syaoran reached for the gun he kept in one of the drawers, and made sure it was loaded.

"You're worried." Sakura's voice was calm. She knew he'd gone for the gun, then.

"Just making sure," he said.

Sakura moved closer to him. The reflected light from outside the office showed her adjusting her skirt as she leaned against him.

Syaoran felt her arms encircle him, and had to stifle a gasp. She nestled against him again, then said, "Tell me about yourself."

"Uh...and Syaoran was glad for the semi-darkness, because he had blushed. But then, the darkness also prevented him from stammering at her, and he was thankful.

"Guess you're stuck with me," Sakura said. "So...where were you born? When? What do you like to eat?"

Sakura was kicking herself for being so forward with him, but she figured this would be her only chance to learn about Syaoran. _**And I really want to know about him, so why not now?**_

"Me? I'm not so interesting," Syaoran said. "Born on July 13, originally from Hong Kong. How about you, Sakura? Your favorite things?"

"Cute stuff!" He could almost hear her smiling. "Kittens, anime, manga, learning how to cook, teddy bears, traveling...gee, there's a lot!" _**And you, **_she added silently. Sakura was astounded at her own boldness, wrapping her arms around him like she had, but she felt she would never have another chance to be close to him. _**Carpe noctem, Sakura!**_

"Really?" Syaoran made mental notes as she talked, remembering that she liked chocolate and teddy bears, hated Math in school, and had never gone out of the country. _**I think I can do something about the chocolate and the teddy bears...and the going out of the country bit**_. He smiled. It would let him spend time with her, if he ever worked up the nerve to pull it off.

It felt natural for him to put his arms around her after a while, and she cuddled up to him for warmth, as the office was cold. _**Thank goodness for the cold**_, Syaoran thought. _**I might never be able to hold her this close again otherwise. **_Upon his prodding, Sakura complained about her lack of a love life, her silly students, and her bullying brother. Syaoran found that, to his surprise, she didn't care about him being a Li, but was amazed that he practiced martial arts, used to be a gamer, and wanted to have a normal life.

"Normal life, eh?" Sakura grinned. Have I got a treat for you then! _**Plus**_, and she blushed at the thought, _**if you agree, I can spend time...alone...with you**_.

They sat together in soothing silence, each enjoying the feel of the other's breath, skin, and touch, not knowing that they were feeling the same way.

**Caught! **

Several blocks away, Meiling threw some popcorn at the screen. The feed for the camera had been diverted to Tomoyo's large condominium, and all three were seated on plush cushions, relaxing in sleepwear. "Ehh! They've been behind the desk for hours! What are they doing?"

"Knowing our paranoid cousin, he's probably using his desk as a shield against intruders," Eriol said calmly as he accepted another bowl of popcorn from Tomoyo.

"But! But, but, but!" Meiling stamped her foot. "I want to see action! I want kissing, touching, clothes strewn everywhere...they're adults, for God's sake!"

"Go watch a porn movie, then," Eriol said, as he yawned, and Tomoyo giggled. "Really, Meiling, I know I don't want to see Syaoran naked."

The two girls looked at each other, then began to laugh.

"You wouldn't, Meiling!" Tomoyo choked out.

"Oh but I would!" Meiling said.

"Would what?" Eriol asked.

"Like a video of Syaoran naked. Imagine how much that would fetch from his stalkers!"

Eriol threw a pillow across at Meiling. "Gross. Do what you like, just don't show it to me!"

They all froze when movement on the screen showed Syaoran standing up. He eyed the door carefully, then crossed towards the small bar in his office. He pulled out two bottles of water and some sandwiches and fruit.

"Ah, he's found the chocolates," Tomoyo giggled, as a puzzled look crossed Syaoran's face and he reached for the chiller, where the chocolates were.

Syaoran stared at the chocolates. He knew he didn't put them there, and none of his secretaries would have...unless...

He handed the food to Sakura, and said, "Wait here. I think I know what's going on." Syaoran began to search the corners of the room for a telltale plastic lens. _**If Tomoyo is in on this, there's going to be a camera somewhere. **_Something glinted outside the window, and he found a tiny camera aimed in the direction of his table.

_**Those three...I'll kill them! **_He aimed the camera upwards, and after making sure Sakura wasn't looking, he glared at the lens and aimed a dirty gesture at it with his finger before disconnecting it from its cable.

"Syaoran?" Sakura called softly. "You must be hungry. It's past midnight already."

Syaoran found himself smiling. _**Now this is our private time. **_Finding the camera had, perversely, given him fresh heart, and he decided to do something he hadn't done: to seize the opportunity presented to him. So he tucked the remains of the camera in his desk drawer, then sat down next to Sakura. "Let's eat, shall we?"

Sakura cheerfully fed him bits of chocolate as they exchanged sandwiches. Afterwards, he lent her a towel from his tiny dressing-slash-bath room so that she could freshen up and brush her teeth. He offered her an oversized shirt so that her work clothes wouldn't be soiled. Afterwards, he freshened up as well, and changed into jeans and a plain white shirt.

She was shivering, and so Syaoran spread a clean towel behind his desk for her to lie down on. For once he was thankful for the thick carpeting, and he covered Sakura with another towel as she murmured her thanks. He settled down on his office chair to go to sleep, but noticed she was still shivering.

"Sakura," he knelt down next to her. "I don't feel too cold. If I share body heat with you, will you be insulted? I don't want you catching a cold."

_**Does he mean what I think he does? **_Sakura's heart leapt in anticipation as she said "No, it's okay," and was rewarded when Syaoran lay down next to her, and pulled her into a spooning embrace. She sighed gratefully, and pillowed her head on his arm.

"Thank you, Syaoran," she said softly.

Syaoran would never know why he decided to turn Sakura around, but he never regretted it. In response to her faint "Hoe?" of surprise—something he was beginning to find endearing—he ignored all his inhibitions, and bent down, almost touching her nose with his.

"Sakura," he began. "You're very beautiful, do you know?"

_**This can't be happening! **_Sakura smiled. _**It has to be a dream...a wonderful dream.**_

"Thank you. I think you're handsome," she said.

A pause, as Syaoran digested what she said, then boldly said, "Will you let me kiss you, Sakura?"

"Oh Syaoran...I've been waiting for you to say that since last week," Sakura said, and she closed her eyes to wait for the kiss.

She wasn't disappointed. Syaoran bent down and began with a chaste kiss, lips just touching lips. When Sakura sighed happily, he grew bolder, and took her lower lip between his own. They stayed that way, kissing gently and tenderly, and Sakura finally got to twine her fingers in his hair, just as she had been dreaming of. And Syaoran knew he had finally found someone who liked him for who he was, not what he was. No words were exchanged as they fell asleep in each other's arms.

Back where the Terrible Trio were, Eriol was panicking.

"He's found us out! Now what?"

For once even Meiling looked somewhat perturbed.

"I've never seen him make that rude gesture before," she said thoughtfully. "And it's never pleasant when he's mad."

"Ah, but both of you are overlooking the real crisis," Tomoyo said worriedly, and the two turned to her, expecting the worst. "We don't have what they're doing now on video!"

_Next- __**Chapter Three: Christmas is a Magical Season**_

_Sakura and Syaoran begin to accept their feelings for one another, and Tomoyo gets her wish! But what happens when Yelan Li finds out?_

**Author's notes: **_Ohmygod, thank you to everyone who reviewed: moon23, Pipi-chan (your colorings are awesome!), Hououza (thanks for the advice!), magic key, starangel02, I'd rather be dead then cool, DiamondRose3, animelover0328 (Aha, you like seeing Syaoran tortured!), KibumiWong, iNuQTple (I will update regularly!) angelemcuti (hearts for reading this too!), shara (This will run to several chapters, don't worry!), ccs's cherry blossom, Sinshana, and Selene Thalia. Also those who favorited and placed this story on alert :D I'm so happy this was received well; please don't worry, I will update regularly because I'm enjoying all the fluffiness!_

_Sorry, but not turning this story into a lemon because the next story I'm drafting is, er, very lemony. Might have to post it in another site _

_To those wondering about "Intersections: A Story of Three Feathers" there are only two chapters left. I'm just reviewing and revising to make sure loose ends get tied up. :D And it would be cheating to tell if anyone dies, haha XD_

_Please enjoy this chapter, and the next one, which will be up within the week!_


	3. Christmas is Wonderful, part 1

**Chapter 3: Christmas is a Wonderful Time of Year, Part One**

* * *

**A Dish Best Served Cold**

The morning light streaked into Syaoran's office, finding him entwined with Sakura. He was awake—he'd always been an early riser—watching Sakura sleep in his arms. One arm had gone numb as she'd pillowed her head on it for several hours now, but Syaoran didn't care. She was a miracle in his dull, somewhat pointless life.

And he felt more confident now. Sakura had accepted him, trusted him, and he no longer had to pretend he didn't care about her. Syaoran stoked her auburn hair gently, and kissed her forehead. He wanted Sakura to wake up with him looking at her, and he waited patiently for her to start stirring.

It was almost seven when she finally blinked her eyes open, and found amber eyes watching her lovingly.

_**It wasn't a dream! **_she rejoiced, and ran her fingers over Syaoran's cheek. He smiled, and pressed a kiss to her lips.

"What, no 'Hoe' today?" Syaoran asked playfully.

Sakura giggled, and stretched. "Good morning, Syaoran."

"Any morning with you is good, Sakura," he said softly. Both their lips were slightly swollen from kissing so much the night before, but neither cared; Sakura pulled him down to her for another kiss.

_**Is it possible that I'm already in love, so soon? **_Syaoran wondered. The warm feeling in his heart, the one that gave him confidence, swelled at the thought of loving her. It had been many years since he'd fallen for anyone, and he wasn't sure what it felt like anymore.

And Sakura had surrendered to what she was feeling. _**He cares about me. He kissed me! And he's still here, and he didn't even take advantage of me. I am a lucky girl! **_This wonderful, amber-eyed man was kissing her, and he was what she had dreamed of: sweet, funny, gentle, even a little awkward. It didn't hurt that he was very handsome as well. She wrapped her arms around his neck, enjoying his kisses. _**All the lousy dates in college were worth it, **_she thought, _**if they were necessary to lead me to this man.**_

"Little blossom," Syaoran said, after they pulled apart. "I need your help."

"Anything you like," Sakura said happily. She liked his nickname for her.

He grinned a wolfish grin. "I need you to help me get revenge on three_**very**_naughty people."

"Hoe?" Sakura tried to lower the volume of her childish exclamation.

"I heard that," he said, and laughed, for the first time Sakura could remember. "That is so cute."

"Revenge?"

Syaoran motioned to Sakura's neatly folded clothes. "Before I start, I'd get dressed, if I were you. We'll leave through the private elevator, and grab a bite on the way to your house. I'll explain when we're there."

As she changed in Syaoran's dressing room, Sakura worked it out in her mind, as was her wont. Revenge. It meant Syaoran had figured out who was responsible for what happened the night before. _**But don't we, well, owe them for bringing us together? **_she thought. _**Then again, Syaoran always has a good reason for whatever he does.**_

When she came out, Syaoran had cleaned his office. The towels were in the hamper, the remains of their dinner in a trash bag, the gun—which Syaoran had kept within arm's reach all night—was back in its hiding place, even the piling of the carpet had been smoothed out. There was no sign they'd slept there.

Sakura grinned at Syaoran. He was so interesting, and when he grinned back, she knew he was up to something fun.

"Come on. I want you to hear my plan. It involves," and Syaoran held up the remains of the small spy camera, "this, and the people who planted it in my office last night."

"Who would do that?" Sakura yawned, and was grateful that today, Wednesday, was technically her day off. "And whatever for?"

"Because, I think, they wanted to see what we would do last night. I bet that if we checked the master switch records, someone manually turned off the power for my floor last night. It comes back on automatically at seven thirty, because I always come in at that time." Right on cue, his office door clicked open, and the lights came back on.

"Hmm. Must remember to have a manual override installed on that door," he said thoughtfully. Syaoran switched the lights off, then held Sakura's hand and pulled her out the door, pausing only for her to collect her purse. He keyed in the passcode for the private elevator, then when it arrived, he pressed "G" instead of "EP" for "Executive Parking".

At the ground level, Syaoran herded Sakura to a dimly lit rear service entrance, and pushed it open. He hailed a cab, and told Sakura to give her address to the driver. Ten minutes later, owing to the lack of traffic, they were at her little house, and Sakura was opening the door.

"Okay. You've tortured me enough. What's going on?" Sakura asked, as she plopped onto the couch.

Syaoran paced her living room floor as he told Sakura his theory about Meiling, Eriol, and Tomoyo being behind their entrapment. Sakura gasped, then giggled when he'd finished his story.

"So what are you planning?"

"To do absolutely _**nothing **_to punish them." Syaoran's grin was wide, and his brown eyes sparkled with mischief. "They'll go crazy trying to figure out what I have lined up. I'll just, well, do some things ominously. You know...slack off on work a bit, practice at the firing range, make odd purchases...things that will make them wonder. And I'll be nice to them, but I'll be dropping a few phrases here and there that make it sound like I'm planning something."

"Oooh, you're evil," Sakura grinned. "How do I come into this?"

Syaoran sat down next to her, then ran a hand through his hair. Sakura recognized his hesitation, and waited patiently, breathing in his clean, crisp scent.

"I...really like you, Sakura. I think...no...I'm falling for you." Syaoran held her hands in his as she blushed. "I don't want to rush things, and if those three found out how...well, who we are to each other, they will try to force us to get married, or will matchmake like crazy. You're special," he turned faintly pink, and rushed the next words out, "and I don't want to spoil our chances. I need...want to get to know you more. So they can't know about us...especially my mother, because I don't want her harassing you. I'm not ashamed of you, Sakura. But I don't want people sticking their noses in at a time...when we should be getting to know each other. Enjoying just being with each other—just you and me. Does that make sense to you?"

Sakura smiled. "It does, and thank you for being so considerate," and she hugged him. Syaoran hugged her back, thinking that he was going to have a wonderful Christmas for once, inhaling her berry-like scent.

"So how do we hide our relationship?" she asked.

"Act normal around me," Syaoran replied. "We are friends too, after all. I'll get us phones that are for our use only, and you'll save my number as 'Lee' and I'll save yours as 'Fleur'. We'll work together but," and he tilted her chin upwards, "after work, I would be so happy if you'll let us be together. Just you and me. No Terrible Trio. No press. Just us. I'll find a way for us to get away from them."

"You're so sweet," Sakura smiled. "But aren't you forgetting something?" She had pulled him close, their noses touching gently.

"What, little blossom?" Syaoran murmured against her lips.

"You should be kissing me now," she breathed, right before his lips claimed hers.

* * *

**Now What?**

Tomoyo was the first to arrive at the office, and she peeked into Syaoran's office. He wasn't there, but his secretaries were.

"Madam Daidouji, can we help you?" Emi, the eldest of them, asked politely.

"Er...Has Syaoran been in yet?" Tomoyo asked innocently.

"No, Madam. He called earlier, though, to say he would be taking care of some business, and will not be in today."

Tomoyo felt a little tug of fear. Syaoran, when angered, could turn aggressive and ruthless. She'd only seen him angry once, and the sight had been disturbing. _**What's he up to?**_

"Have you got his schedule?"

"Yes, madam." The secretary handed over Syaoran's appointment pad. He'd blocked off two days, marking them "Hong Kong." A note in one corner included the information number for a printing machine conference. _**Weird. I'm the VP for finance and he hasn't mentioned this to me.**_

She waved at Syaoran's secretaries, and as soon as she was out of earshot, pulled out her cell phone.

"Eriol," she hissed as a sleepy young man answered her first call. "He's not in the office, and he's not coming in today."

Eriol sat bolt upright and grabbed his watch from a bedside table. It was eleven am. This is bad, he thought. He couldn't remember Syaoran missing a day of work in years.

"I'll find out where he is," Eriol said, cradling his cell phone to his ear as he staggered to the bathroom. "I'll call you when I've got something." He hung up, then called his assistants, asking to be placed on a speaker phone.

"I want to know where Syaoran is and what he's doing. I also want to know where Sakura Kinomoto is, and if she left the building with Syaoran earlier today. I don't care how you get the information, but the first person to tell me what I want to know gets a nice, fat bonus from me. Now move!"

He showered and shaved quickly, and was pulling on his designer slacks when his cell phone rang. _**Good girls**_, he thought, and stopped short when he saw the name on the phone.

**Syaoran.**

Eriol cleared his throat before answering the phone, expecting a nasty scene. "Hey cuz," he said, in what he hoped was a passable imitation of noncholance.

"Eriol!" Syaoran's voice was cheerful. **Too**cheerful. "I was hoping to ask you a favor, seeing as...well, I think you owe me."

"Er...sure!" Eriol said loudly, forcing cheer into his voice. A vision of Syaoran glaring angrily into the camera they had planted and giving them the dirty finger flitted across his mind.

"I need you to tell my mother I had to go to Hong Kong on business. I just want to get away from her for a while. Since we need someone to go over there anyway to have a look at the new vertical printing presses, I figure I'll do it. Okay? Just keep Yelan off my back for a day or two."

"Um..."

"Come on Eriol. It's the least you can do after...well...you know..." Syaoran's voice was too friendly, too persuasive, and Eriol felt a little fear shoot through him.

"Okay. I will."

"See you in a few days, then," Syaoran said.

Across town, Meiling received a call from Sakura.

"Good morning Meiling! I hope I didn't wake you," Sakura said.

"No, no...um...are you okay?"

"Sure! Did you know I was stuck in Li Tower last night?" Sakura sounded so innocent, Syaoran had to bite his lip to keep from laughing as he listened to her.

"No, what happened?" Despite herself, Meiling was interested; she wanted to hear the story from Sakura's point of view.

"The lights went out while Syaoran and I were reviewing the supplement proofs. He has an electronic door, so we couldn't get out. I was so scared, but he was so nice, and he even gave me food from his bar. He let me sleep in his office. He's a nice guy," Sakura said innocently. "He even gave me relationship advice."

"Really? Did he...you know, did anything happen behind the desk?" Meiling blurted out before she realized what she'd said. She prayed Sakura was too dense to know.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Sakura asked.

Meiling never realized that Sakura had said "Huh?" instead of the usual "Hoe?" when she was surprised.

"No! I meant, did he do anything to you? Just watching out for you, ha, ha, HA!" Meiling forced out a laugh. _**That was dumb**_, she chided herself.

"We talked. He's a Cancerian, and he used to play sports in high school. He's really nice," Sakura said, a shrug in her voice.

"Don't you like him?" Meiling teased.

"Your cousin's nice, Meiling. And he's a gentleman. But...well, hey, I called because I have to go to Tomoeda."

"Where's Tomoeda?"

"It's my little hometown. We have a festival coming up, and I want to meet up with my brother Touya." Sakura took a deep breath silently, and launched into Syaoran's suggested spiel. "If you're free, you can come with me and I can set you up with my brother. He's cute, you know." An artful pause, then, "I was hoping to introduce you to the guy I really like."

Meiling's heart sank. There was someone else in Sakura's life? Poor Syaoran. What had they done to him, then, trapping him in a room with a woman who had the hots for someone else? Knowing Sakura, she'd have told him all about it. Oh no.

"Thanks, but I...have a lot of society thingies to go to," It was Meiling's turn to sigh. "So you'll be out how long?"

"A week. Is that okay?"

"Sure. Just check your email everyday, all right?"

"I will. Thanks!"

A pause, then Meiling, unable to resist, asked, "Do I know this guy?"

Truthfully, Sakura replied, "I don't think you know him well, but Syaoran gets him. But he's got really warm eyes and dark hair. I'll introduce you two sometime. But I can send you our photo if your multimedia messaging is active."

"Uh, okay." When Meiling heard the affection in Sakura's tone, she thought, _**I have to talk to Eriol and Tomoyo immediately!**_

"Sakura? I gotta run. See you then!"

Meiling's phone trilled out an incoming multimedia message from Sakura. She opened it, and saw Sakura laughing, her arms around a dark greyish-haired young man with glasses. _**He's hot**_, Meiling thought idly. Then she realized what the photo meant, and scrambled to dial Eriol's number.

* * *

**Mischief Afoot**

As Sakura hung up, she realized that Syaoran had snuck up behind her and encircled her waist with his arms. She pressed herself against him, and was delighted when he nuzzled her cheek.

"You're amazing," he said. "And who might this mystery man be?" he teased.

"He's got beautiful eyes," she raised her eyelashes and looked up at him, "dark hair," and she raised a hand to ruffle his messy cocoa hair, "and has his arms around me right now. I think I'm really falling for him."

"Oh, then that's good," Syaoran smiled.

"Why'd you make me mislead Meiling?"

"I know her. She'll feel really really guilty, and then she might try to make it up to me.

"You're evil," and Sakura wrapped her arms around his neck. "Didn't think you had it in you."

"Always did," Syaoran said cheerfully. "I just prefer not to show it...unless pushed hard."

"So about the second phase of your plan..."

"You'll need a wig, dark glasses, and a trenchcoat. Oh, and your passport."

"Hoe?"

"We really are going to Hong Kong. We're running away for a while," Syaoran grinned roguishly at Sakura.

"But I've never been anywhere further than Taiwan before," she said.

Syaoran turned her around to face him. "Am I moving too fast for you?" He looked deep into her green eyes with his bronze ones.

"No. I trust you," and she twined her arms around his neck, "and I know you have something fun in mind. Meiling claims you don't know what fun is, so I'll just have to find out, ne?"

He laughed, and pulled her closer. "I'm so lucky you're with me," he said softly, as he pressed kisses to the corner of her mouth.

"Oh, do shut up and kiss me properly," he heard her grumble as she moved her mouth to meet his.

Several minutes later, Syaoran tore himself away from Sakura, and caught a cab home. When he was at the grand entrance to their mansion, he peered around for his mother.

"Young master Syaoran?" Their butler, Wei, stood there, looking amused.

"Good morning, Wei." Wei was surprised to see Syaoran smiling softly. "Ma-Ma is not here?"

"Yes, she left early. She was wondering about you."

"Oh...I was at the office. I'm going to Hong Kong to take care of some business. Could you tell her that? I'm leaving now."

Wei sighed, knowing Syaoran didn't want to have to deal with his mother for the meantime, and nodded. "I shall, Master Syaoran."

"Great, thanks." Syaoran took the stairs two at a time, and burst into his mostly green room. He shoved clothes into a large backpack, then showered quickly, not bothering to shave. Then he put on another shirt and jeans, checked to see if he'd forgotten anything, then let Wei drive him to the airport.

At the airport, Wei turned and asked the young man who had been his charge for over twenty years, "Master Syaoran, will you be all right?"

And was astounded when Syaoran smiled, and patted his shoulder. "I will be. Don't worry." He leapt out of the limousine, waved like a young boy, then ran for the private departure area.

Wei smiled. It was good to see the young master happy for once.

At the gate to the VIP departure area, Syaoran saw a dark-haired girl in dark glasses, wearing a black trenchcoat, waiting nervously. She was wearing the dark red lipstick he'd told her to wear, and looked a bit out of sorts. He almost laughed; Sakura was so obvious, and it was endearing. He came up to her, and she looked at him, surprised.

"You look like a college boy," she said.

"And you look like a suspicious person," he smiled. "Come on. Our private jet hangar is this way." He put his arm around her waist, attracting much interest from the airport personnel who knew who he was.

"It's embarrassing," she said softly.

"I know," Syaoran said gently. "But if anyone sees they will mistake you for someone else. I know Eriol is going to try to find out what I'm up to, and I'll be damned if I'll let him bug you. Did you make the calls to your friends in Tomoeda and in the university?"

"Yeah. This feels like an adventure," she giggled.

"It is. My first," and he grinned boyishly. "You said you'd never been further than Taiwan, so I thought we'd go around Hong Kong. Hopefully incognito," he said, then laughed.

"Hey. You should do that more often," Sakura said, and touched his lips gently. "Smile. Laugh. You're more handsome that way. Not that you aren't already."

The flight attendant on the Li plane raised his eyebrow when he saw Syaoran, dressed very informally, escorting a strange woman onto the plane. He remembered getting a call earlier that morning from Eriol's assistant, asking him to alert them if Syaoran boarded the plane.

_**Looks like I'll get a bonus today**_, the flight attendant smiled, and took out his cell phone to surreptitiously take a photo of Syaoran and the strange dark-haired girl. He sent the photo to Eriol's assistant, then dialed her number._**Too bad I'm not allowed in the private quarters without being summoned**_, he thought ruefully.

On the plane, Sakura gratefully took off the trenchcoat, glasses, and wig. Underneath, she was wearing a floaty yellow sundress with a halter top, and she looked beautiful. Syaoran smiled, then noticed Sakura freeze up as they took off. She gritted her teeth, and gripped the armrests of her captain's chair.

"Are you afraid?"

"Sort of," and she slid her hand into his and squeezed it. "Always been afraid of planes, honestly. Even though I've only been on a few."

He rose from his captain's chair and urged her over to a nearby plush couch. Syaoran placed his arms around her, and she gratefully curled up next to him. An idea came to his head, and when Sakura saw him grinning a devilish grin, she only smiled and said, "What took you so long?"

Syaoran's kiss was soft and sweet, and they continued to kiss until he slid her lips open gently with his tongue. Her green eyes flew open, and he met her with an intense coppery stare, then pulled away.

"I'm sorry," Syaoran said, stroking her hair.

"No," Sakura said breathlessly. "I've...never been kissed that way before."

"And you don't like it?"

"Like hell I don't," and she pulled him back down on her. Syaoran chuckled against her lips, enjoying her boldness and her trust in him, then slid his tongue back into her sweet mouth. He gasped when she reciprocated, sliding her own tongue over his, first tentatively, then more confidently.

He wanted to trace kisses down her cheek and chin, but stopped himself, content to lie there and kiss her. There would be time for those caresses later, he thought.

Sakura caught Syaoran's lower lip between hers. She gently kissed his cheeks, his eyes, his forehead...then suddenly, she found his weak spot: his earlobes. Syaoran drew in his breath as she kissed and nibbled on them. Suddenly, she found herself pinned under him, his intense gaze on hers.

"Don't," he said softly. "Don't do that. Please."

"You don't like it?"

"I do," he rasped. "That's why we shouldn't." He smiled, then kissed her again before she could say the "Hoe?" which was forming on her lips, delighting in her nearness, in his own boldness for moving their relationship forward so quickly. "Syaoran!" she called as she came up for air.

Syaoran stopped kissing her, an amused smile on his face. "I'm not going anywhere. Only, we've landed, Sakura."

Sakura blushed, and Syaoran said, "Now wasn't that a nice flight?"

For once, he had the last word, and he smiled as she put on the wig, glasses, and trenchcoat again.

* * *

**What's Going On?**

Eriol nearly snarled when his cell phone went off, then controlled himself when he realized it was Yelan Li. _**Oh boy.**_

"Auntie," he said.

"Syaoran left you in charge of the office, didn't he?" Yelan's dignified voice always made Eriol feel like a naughty child caught doing something bad.

"Yes, Auntie. He went to Hong Kong to look at vertical presses, and to relax, I think." Eriol cringed at his own lame statement.

"Ah. Good for him, then," she said crisply. Eriol stared at the phone, then blinked.

"I trust you will not let him down?"

"No, Auntie."

"Good." And Yelan clicked off, leaving Eriol staring at the phone.

An assistant stood at the door with some papers in hand. "Master Eriol, we received this from the flight attendant of the Li private jet. The first printout was taken before the flight took off for Hong Kong, with Master Syaoran on it. This woman," and she handed Eriol the first printout, "was with him."

Eriol stared at the strange woman with dark hair, dark glasses and a trenchcoat. Horrified, he thought he recognized her as Tanya Huang, a ditzy society girl who had been after Syaoran in the past. Don't tell me he gave in? Why now?

The assistant cleared her throat. "And, Master Eriol here's the photo of them leaving the private cabin."

Syaoran's lips, cheeks, and ears—ears!--were smeared with red lipstick. He had his arm over the girl Eriol thought was Tanya, and they were laughing as he tried to wipe the lipstick off with a handkerchief.

_**God help me, I think what we did last night backfired.**_

He opened his phone and called Tomoyo.

"Anything?" she greeted him.

"He's in Hong Kong with this floozy," he began as Meiling skidded into his office, and barked, "Leave us!" at the assistant, who retreated quickly.

"Is that Tomoyo?" Meiling said. Eriol nodded. "We're in trouble. Look at this," and she showed the photo of Sakura and the mystery man on her phone to Eriol.

"You're not leaving me out of the loop, Eriol! I'm heading there now!" Tomoyo screeched, then cut the connection.

In a few minutes, she had slammed the door closed, drawn up a chair, and insisted on hearing their stories.

"So Syaoran must've gone off with this bimbo because he was ticked off at us, and Sakura has this guy?" she said. "Oh no!"

"Yeah, and knowing Sakura, she probably confided in him. You know Syaoran. He won't say a word. He probably sat there, dispensed advice, and stammered half the night," Meiling said dully. "And now he's heartbroken, and he's drowning his sorrows in the first available woman!"

"We've ruined his Christmas," Tomoyo said sadly, her eyes sparkling.

The Terrible Trio were deep in thought, and did not notice the assistant listening at the door. Yelan Li had offered her own reward for information about Syaoran's lovelife, and with the tape recording she now had, things would be very, very interesting around the office.

* * *

Thanks to everyone who's reviewed before, and to All the charm in one bottle, StarAngel02, Ayumi Uchiha (aw thanks and yes, it will probably end before the other two fics will), AngelEmCuti, SakuraLover (it gets even fluffier! haha), iNQTpIe, Kibumi Wong, and everyone who read it.

I have to say I am surprised, and amazed, at the responses to this fluffy little story. Honestly I started this as a break, and next thing I know it's my most popular story! (squeals). I enjoy writing fluff, especially since I'm starting on an awfully angsty story soon (starring Meiling Li and Fruits Basket's Momiji Sohma. Weird combo? You bet!)

Chapter 4 of this story will be uploaded after I upload the second to the last chapter of "Intersections", so I combined two chapters here to make up for the delay.

Hugs to everyone! .. 


	4. Christmas is Wonderful, part 2

**Are You Gonna Let Her Get Away?**

**Chapter Four: Christmas is a Wonderful Time of Year, Part Two**

* * *

**A Helping Hand?**

Yelan Li had not become the nominal head of the Li clan for nothing, and she knew her son well. Thus, when she assembled data on his movements during the past few days, she was more thorough than the Terrible Trio, having her assistants interview security guards, janitors, and camera technicians at the Li Tower.

A cleaning lady had seen Syaoran with a pretty girl named Sakura Kinomoto in his collection room a week or so ago. She said they looked like they were embracing when she walked in, but she wasn't sure. That Syaoran had brought someone to his sanctuary raised a flag, and Yelan asked for a file on Sakura.

Then the Li Tower guards reported a blackout confined to Syaoran's floor the other day...the night Syaoran had failed to come home. The morning after the blackout, a security guard had glimpsed Syaoran exit the private elevator holding hands with a girl who matched Sakura's description, and they had been laughing.

_**Syaoran, laughing?**_

Yelan's lips crinkled into a smile. Now that was a good sign. She'd wondered if she'd been too hard on her son, pushing him to be responsible so soon. But if this young woman could bring Syaoran back to his youth...then perhaps...

She turned to the file on Sakura Kinomoto, and was quickly struck by the girl's open smile, aura of good health and innocence, and wholesome prettiness. Yelan was liking what she saw more and more, and when she read Sakura's astrological chart, she laughed.

Sakura was a perfect match for Syaoran in terms of Chinese astrological compatibility. She would bring good fortune and a long life to her mate, and would be a loving and loyal companion.

She then received a phone call from an assistant who told her that a flight steward had reported to Eriol that Syaoran had arrived in Hong Kong with a dark-haired girl. Yelan wanted confirmation, so she ordered a discreet tail placed on them with the objective of getting a photo of the girl and a description of how Syaoran behaved around her.

A few hours later, she had her answer. Though Syaoran had arrived with a girl with dark hair that was described as "looking like a wig", dark glasses, and a trenchcoat, he was now with the golden-haired Sakura, and he was escorting her around the Mongkok Night Market. Yelan almost laughed; the attempt at concealment was somewhat ridiculous, and she was surprised no one had noticed.

Unless Syaoran had wanted people to notice the girl's false appearance, that is. Never underestimate your only son, she thought. Syaoran could be smart and cunning when he needed to be, and given how Yelan had been pressuring him about getting married, she felt a reluctant admiration for how Syaoran had concealed this relationship. _**Perhaps he wants no interference as he gets to know her better before introducing Sakura to me,**_ Yelan thought.

The accompanying photos showed them walking happily hand in hand around the market, and Yelan was struck by how young and carefree Syaoran looked. Sakura's affection was clear; when they weren't holding hands, she was looking at him, or touching his arm, or raising herself on tiptoes to try and tame his hair.

He was smiling in each photo, or looking down at the girl—he was a head taller than her—with an expression of love darkening his amber eyes. He'd brought her to the Shrine of Wishes, where he had kissed her. Yelan drew her breath in upon seeing the photo; Sakura had her arms around Syaoran's neck, her eyes closed, completely trusting him. Syaoran had bent down to kiss her, and it was clear that the kiss was very tender...the kind lovers gave to each other.

_**My son is in love**_. Yelan found a thrill shoot through her at the prospect. Ah, if only her husband Xiao Lang had lived to see this...

The accompanying report amused her no end. "Female subject playfully arguing with male subject about prices of items in market. Refused to let him pay for her purchases, and insisted on paying for their dinner at a small sidewalk cafe."

Yelan was relieved that the girl wasn't a gold-digger. _**And she's feisty too, **_she thought with amusement. She continued reading the report that tracked their movements, ending with: "Male subject checked into Hong Kong Mandarin, two separate rooms, under name of Eriol Li-Hiiragizawa."

_**Two separate rooms? Syaoran hasn't seduced her yet? Goodness! **_Yelan frowned. _**How am I going to get my grandchildren if Syaoran goes slow with this girl? She is almost past prime childbearing age. And I think I will have beautiful grandchildren from them**_, she smiled. _**Now, to work out a plan...can he stand up for her to me? How much does he love her?**_

She needed to know; if Syaoran could pass this test, then he certainly deserved the freedom to court and marry this woman.

Several hours later, Eriol was standing nervously in front of Yelan Li. He sent a hasty text message to Tomoyo and Meiling: "Yelan called for me. Oh shit."

"You'd do well to put that phone away, dear boy," her regal voice cut across the room. "I want you to do something for me."

"Er, yes, Auntie. What is it?"

"I want you to court Sakura Kinomoto."

Eriol's eyes almost bugged out, and he stared at Yelan. Out came a suave response, "Hu-whhaat?"

"Really now, Eriol. You're a playboy. You can handle this. I want Syaoran to be jealous."

_**How the hell did she know? And...wait, she doesn't know about Syaoran being in Hong Kong right?**_

"But why?"

"Eriol. Drop the games. You and I both know he likes this girl very much. The fact that he kept it from me is proof positive."

In desperation, Eriol blurted out, "He's in Hong Kong with some floozy right now!"

"Are you questioning me?" was the icy response.

"No...Auntie...We tried to set them up, but it backfired. Syaoran discovered Sakura likes someone else, and went off with some other girl, I think to console himself. Sakura is in her hometown right now with the other guy. And Syaoran is preparing some kind of revenge on us for trapping him in the Tower with Sakura a few days ago!" Eriol's words rushed out, and he had never felt more like a naughty little boy than he did now.

Yelan fought a smile. Eriol clearly had no idea what was really going on, and from the sound of it, Syaoran had manipulated events to mislead his cousin. And..."we"?

"Who is 'we'? And I want you to share your information with me."

Eriol fought to regain his equinamity. "Meiling and Tomoyo and me."

"Ah. Then they will help you. You will make Syaoran jealous."

"It's not going to work, Auntie. He's in Hong Kong with this..."

"You will report to me every evening," Yelan's tone brooked no interference. "I want you to pay special attention to the girl whenever Syaoran is around. And do not make it look obvious, or I will find out."

"Yes, Auntie," Eriol said, in a defeated tone.

How was he ever going to pull this one off?

"You mentioned that you have files? Send them to me. I want to know what you know."

"Yes, Auntie."

Such a playful prank...how had it gone so completely wrong?

* * *

**Falling is a Wonderful Surrender**

Again Syaoran woke up as the sunlight hit his face. He groaned, then rolled over, hoping to sleep in some more. But then he remembered who was in the next room, and he smiled.

_**I have to wake Sakura up.**_ Now what would be a nice way to surprise her? When he remembered what her favorite flowers were, he quickly changed, and went to a nearby flower shop, grinning like a young boy.

Sakura stretched before opening her eyes. _**Hong Kong is a wonderful place, **_she thought. _**Especially with Syaoran around. **_She smiled, then opened her eyes.

"Hoeee?" The room was filled with cherry blossoms, peonies, and roses. Syaoran stood near the door, wearing a devilish smile, a black shirt, and jeans.

"I really love hearing that from you, you know, Sakura?" He sat down beside her, and she snuggled up to him happily, placing her arms around him, drinking in his clean scent of citrus soap, and a crisp undertone that was his alone. She raised her head to find him looking at her gently, stroking her messy hair.

"Thank you so much, Syaoran. It's a wonderful surprise." She smiled, then threw her head back and laughed. "However did you get all these flowers up here?"

"That's my secret," he grinned. And then they were kissing again, the best part of the day, the first part of the day. Sakura wound her fingers in Syaoran's tousled dark brown hair, earning a chuckle from him. "What is it about you and my hair?"

"I hope you never go bald," she said impishly. "I love running my fingers through your hair. Better than you doing it, ne?"

He laughed. "Oh, so you noticed."

"That, and the throat clearing."

"I thought I annoyed you," she said, as she nuzzled his neck with her nose. "But when you finally kissed me, I knew."

Sakura reached up, and kissed his neck, trailing kisses to his chin. "I could do this forever," he whispered. "But we'll miss breakfast, little blossom."

She laughed. "You're right. Most important meal of the day and all." She stood up, wandering around the room, touching some of the flowers and smelling the others. "Gosh, they're beautiful. I wish we could keep them alive."

"Maybe I should get you a garden, then." Syaoran knew he was serious. Anything that made Sakura smile was worth it.

She laughed. "Don't be silly. You'll never haul a garden up the stairs. Half a one, maybe. Then again, maybe a garden is better than handing me a bunch of dead flowers." She giggled, and he laughed with her.

And he loved her even more for her humor, her infectious optimism, her innocence, her good cheer. He'd given up resisting, and acknowledged that he was deeply, madly in love. Not that he had told her yet; Syaoran didn't want to scare her off. _**Who falls in love in a month anyway? **_he thought. _**Only me. If I tell her I already want to marry her, she'll probably run off to another planet; I'd sound like a stalker.**_

Still, she was here, with him, now. _**Whoever was the god who sent you to me, I should find out so I can build a temple for him or her. **_He remembered kissing her passionately at the Shrine of Wishes, and found himself hoping the legend was true: lovers who shared a kiss there would be married soon. Coming home to Sakura as her husband would be a wonderful thing. He strode over to her, and stroked her soft, smooth cheek gently.

"You know, if you keep trying to surprise me this way in the morning, you're going to run out of ideas," she said, as she kissed him. "Hang on. I'm going to change."

Syaoran gave in to an impulse, and said with an evil grin, "Need help?"

"Ha! You wish," but her eyes twinkled. "Come on, I'll just be a moment. M'kay?"

"I'll do some damage while you're in there."

"It's eight in the morning and you want to torture the Terrible Trio?"

"Who says I can't?" Syaoran broke into an evil grin, which Sakura adored.

"Good point." And she disappeared into the bathroom with a change of clothes.

* * *

**Syaoran is a Bad Boy!**

Syaoran then dialed Tomoyo's cell number. He knew she would still be asleep, and relished the thought of waking her up.

"S-syaoraaan?" Tomoyo's sleep-fogged voice answered on the eighth ring.

"Tomoyo! Sorry to bother you but I need a serious favor. I want a sexy black dress for a girl who's size six. Where's a good place to buy it?"

Tomoyo sat up quickly, sleep all but forgotten. Her sharp fashion eye allowed her to estimate sizes even at a distance, and she knew the mystery girl with Syaoran in the photo Eriol showed her was a size six.

"Are you sure about this?" she blurted.

"What do you mean?"

"Do you know the girl well enough to buy her clothes?"

"Absolutely. I adore her," and Syaoran had to bite his lip to keep from laughing. "And I don't intend for her to be wearing it for a long time." He felt something soft hit him; Sakura had balled up a towel and thrown it at him from the bathroom. Ah good, she could hear him. He smiled at her, then prudently moved out of her missile range.

Tomoyo gasped. This was bad, very bad! _**Syaoran...he must be having...wild monkey sex...sex with that floozy!**_

"So, where's a good place?" Syaoran prompted.

"I don't know...Fashion Lane? Lane Bryant?" Tomoyo refused to name her favorite places, not wanting to share good designers with the hussy who was stealing Syaoran away from the one they wanted him to be with.

"Those are in Hong Kong," Syaoran deviled her, trapping Tomoyo with her own words.

"Well! Ah, those are, er, just a flight away! And I'm sure the girl will like it. I mean, she's a sexy society girl and all..." _**Oh no! **_Tomoyo knew she was giving herself away. Damn that Syaoran for calling her so early!

"Is there something you're not telling me?" Syaoran's voice was innocent. "Is there a problem?"

"Wah...no. I'm just...sleepy. Yeah, sleepy me, ha ha." Tomoyo laughed nervously.

"Any designers I should watch for? What's a good style?"

"Um...halter tops, tube tops..." A stroke of inspiration hit Tomoyo. "They have a fashion consultant at Lane Bryant. How about if you hire her? Okay?"

"All right, then. Thanks. I appreciate this. You're such a great friend, you and Meiling and Eriol," Syaoran said sweetly, fake sincerity dripping from each word. As soon as he ended the call, he burst into a great shout of laughter.

"I take back what I said yesterday about you being evil," Sakura said. She'd heard most of the conversation, at least on Syaoran's end. "You're a sadist."

That fast, Syaoran had grabbed her around the waist and she found herself whipped downwards, coming to rest above his chest.

"Want me to show you just how sadistic I can be?" His face hovered near hers, and he was speaking against her lips. Syaoran's tongue snaked out to barely touch Sakura's lower lip, and she sighed, opening her mouth to accept an intimate kiss from him. Which never came.

"Hoee?" He was looking in her eyes, his own darkened nearly to the color of bronze.

"You want me to kiss you, don't you?"

"Oh yes, Syaoran..."

"And you called me a sadist, right?"

She closed her eyes and nodded.

"So I won't." Syaoran rolled her off him, grinning widely, and stood up.

She threw a pillow at him. "You...you..." He dodged it easily.

"I'm a what? Come on, Sakura. Tell me." He laughed as another pillow sailed past him...

...and out of the open window. Wow, she sure could throw hard.

Sakura stood there, her hands over her mouth, which was hanging open. She dashed to the balcony. Syaoran felt a thrill of horror come over him; was she going to jump after the damned thing? He grabbed her as she swept past him, and held her tight.

"No, sweetheart! Don't!"

"The pillow! It..."

"Don't worry, baby. It's okay."

"But what if it hits someone?"

"We're above the pool," his eyes shone with amusement. "Stop worrying."

"Someone might be sunbathing!" Sakura's beautiful jade-green eyes were wide open, and she was thinking of what she would have to do if someone sued her for hitting them with a pillow.

"In the middle of December?" Syaoran raised an eyebrow.

"Oh. Right." She blushed.

"So. I'm going to have to turn you in, you know." He held her wrists as though he were arresting her. "Damaging hotel property. Tsk, tsk. Bad girl."

"Any chance I can talk you out of it?" She was smiling again, drawing close to him.

"Talk, no. You can, however, persuade me in other ways," Syaoran said suggestively.

And he was ready when Sakura pressed her lips against his and slid her tongue into his mouth. This delicious banter, the time he spent playing with her...he felt like a new man, and he was grateful as he kissed her back.

When they pulled apart, he had his hands behind her neck.

"What are you doing?"

"Giving you something you liked yesterday, when you thought I wasn't looking." Syaoran had fastened the slender white gold chain around her neck, with a tiny butterfly pendant; its wings were sprinkled with tiny diamonds. He adjusted it so that it fell into the hollow of her throat, then kissed her again. "Perfect. I knew if would look good on you, little blossom." He turned Sakura around to face the mirror. "So. Like it?"

"Syaoran...You didn't!" She thought he had been in the toilet when she had sneaked into the jewelry store and looked longingly at it. It had been out of her price range, though, and she had returned it to the sales clerk reluctantly. "You can't be giving me these presents...It's so expensive...On top of the flowers...You paid for the flight and the hotel...I can't even give you anything back, just some throat pastilles! I don't want people to think..." She had gone red.

Syaoran raised her chin gently. "A simple 'thank you' would be nice," he teased her.

"No...I didn't mean to be ungrateful...I'm so, so sorry...It's just that I don't know what to give you, and you always have something wonderful for me. I feel like such a loser; I don't know what would make you happy...oh," and she was on the verge of tears.

Syaoran used his thumb to wipe away the tears forming at the corner of Sakura's beautiful eyes. "Stop saying sorry," he commanded sternly. "Nothing's too good for you, all right? And if it bothers you, well...too bad, you'll have to get used to it, because I fully" and he kissed her, "intend," another kiss, "to spoil you. And it would honor me if you wore that. For me. Do it for me; that's your gift for me. Besides, who says you've never given me anything?"

To Sakura's surprise, he produced the tin of throat pastilles she'd given him. "I've kept them. They worked. Thanks," and he smiled.

"You kept them? Why?"

"Because they were a gift from you," he said softly. "Anything from you is a wonderful thing." He paused, his large eyes fixed on her, then he dropped another kiss, on her lips, gently sliding his tongue in and entwining it with hers as he caressed her nape.

"Now. Can you wear that for me?"

"For you," she breathed. "I will."

"So," Syaoran touched his nose to hers. "You were going to show me just how grateful you are...?"

Sakura grinned. "Mmm, depends on how you define the term."

By the time they finished expressing their affection and thanks to each other, it was almost time for lunch. Not that they minded at all.

* * *

**The Terrible Trio, Getting Into and Making More Trouble**

Five o'clock, and Meiling, Eriol, and Tomoyo were meeting in Meiling's office. Eriol and Tomoyo had just finished telling their stories to Meiling, and they were glumly contemplating what to do.

"So the photo proves he was with that Tanya girl, and his call to me is just more nasty icing on the cake," Tomoyo said.

"No, no, I said it looked like her, that's all," Eriol said.

Meiling's eyes, currently scarlet red, flew wide open. "Oh no. She's a gold digger!"

The Terrible Trio looked at each other, and simultaneously groaned. Eriol resisted the urge to bang his head on the desk. It had started as a practical joke, but now things were barreling out of control.

"You know, they could get married there," Eriol began, and stopped as Meiling shrieked.

"Absolutely not! We have to stop this without involving Auntie!" Eriol nodded fervently; if Yelan Li's precious Syaoran wound up with some cheap society girl, heaven help them all, especially since she now knew what they had done a few days ago. Though the Li matriarch had not said anything, she looked quite displeased.

"We have to come up with a plan..." Tomoyo began. Eriol and Meiling groaned.

"Like the first one worked perfectly," Eriol said sarcastically.

"You two. Stop right there," Meiling said. "I've got it. Eriol, you be aggressive, but only when Syaoran is around. Tomoyo, you follow Eriol and Sakura and take photos. I'll make sure it lands in the tabloids, and have this sleazy reporter I know write a mean article about her. Syaoran is sure to defend her! If this doesn't draw Syaoran out, nothing will. He's got to fight for his girl."

"What about the other guy, the one she's with right now?" Tomoyo's eyebrows were raised.

"I'll hire detectives to track him down. If we pull this off, Syaoran will come to Sakura's rescue once the tabloids start going after her for being with Eriol."

"And what of that society girl?" Tomoyo inquired.

"Eriol can 'dump' Sakura and go for her!"

"That's a..." Eriol stopped before he could say "stupid" because he knew the consequences...and it had only been months since the other vice presidents had stopped calling him "Mr. Teddy Bear". He cleared his throat, then, "That's one way of doing it, but there are too many holes, too many unknowns. What if Sakura is engaged to the other guy? Nothing I do will work. What if Syaoran has rushed into marriage with the floozy? Or what if he's started an affair? I think we should focus on getting information first before we do anything."

"Sounds good to me," Tomoyo said.

Overruled, Meiling sighed. Then she glanced at Tomoyo, who was looking thoughtful.

"Spill, Daidouji. You have something up your sleeve," Meiling commanded.

"We still have the Christmas ball for the Picayune," Tomoyo said slowly. "If we made it a mandatory partners dance, and arranged for them to 'draw' each other as partners..."

"Then they would have to spend time together during the ball!" Eriol grinned.

"Hmm. Liking this better," Meiling said. "And we can get our hands on Sakura if we pretend we're making her over for the ball. One of us can go through her things if we bring her to Ritual Spa, right, Tomoyo?"

"Ooh, yes! And then I can do the best thing of all," Tomoyo said.

"And what's that?"

"Make her costume for the ball!" Tomoyo squealed.

* * *

**An Antidote for Darkness**

Syaoran happily returned to the office, and his bubble of happiness was noticed by all who worked with him. He also began coming in to the office a little later- eight, even nine in the morning, and leaving earlier, always asking to be brought to a nearby mall, then coming home on his own. He'd also developed the habit of wandering around the office frequently, and his secretaries noticed him using another cell phone, the number of which none of them knew, to send messages.

The Terrible Trio watched him warily. It had been two weeks, it was nearly Christmas, and Syaoran hadn't done anything to them at all. The suspense was beginning to get to them. Syaoran would greet them cheerfully when they met, and he was sometimes missing at lunch time. He was more willing to delegate responsibility, and once, he even disappeared from the office for several hours, during which no one could contact him at all.

His secret relationship with Sakura was a source of thrill for him. A high point of his day was wandering over to her area of the office, then heading for a storeroom nearby. She would follow after a few minutes, and they would dally a bit, kissing each other hungrily. Syaoran always embraced her for several minutes, trying to memorize the feel of her, her scent, even the way her heart beat against his. He still hadn't told her he loved her, and he planned to do so during the New Year.

Sakura was on Cloud Nine. Syaoran always appeared at her house every night; she'd given him a set of keys, and he always came when he could. He'd even cooked her dinner one night, a delightful pasta dish paired with some panini, and then, when the snow came down over them, slept over.

That had been a wonderful night. He'd started out in the guest bedroom, but when the lights went out around midnight, she had screamed. Syaoran was in her bedroom in a flash, and wordlessly, he put his arms around her to keep her calm.

"I never did get to ask you, Sakura," he said when the lights had come back on, "why you hate the dark."

Sakura kept her head snuggled firmly in his neck. "My mother died during a blackout," she sobbed. "I know it's stupid, because I'm already an adult, but when the lights die, I think something bad is going to happen—a ghost is going to come out, my brother used to tell me. I'm afraid of ghosts. I don't know why."

Syaoran stroked the back of her neck gently, knowing this gesture calmed Sakura down. "Don't blame the dark, little blossom. But maybe if you learned to live with the darkness, you'll discover that it makes you appreciate light," he said softly.

He carried her back to her bed, pulled the sheets over her, then walked off.

"Please don't leave," Sakura said.

"I'm not," Syaoran said gently. "I'm staying right here, but I'm going to turn off the lights. Okay?"

"I feel like such a stupid baby," she said as she cowered under the sheets.

"No, don't," Syaoran said as he turned out the lights. Sakura gasped, but relaxed when he slid in next to her.

He put his arms around her, letting her rest on his chest. "Feel better, little blossom?"

She sighed. "I do now."

They lay quietly as they listened to the snow coming down. Sakura snuggled closer to him, closing her eyes and savoring the feel of Syaoran's strong arms and sturdy chest. She knew she had fallen very deeply in love him in such a short span of time, and didn't dare confess her feelings to him for fear he would reject her. I never want him to leave me, she thought. I'll wait until he feels the same way.

Syaoran turned her head towards his, and began to kiss her gently. Sakura discovered she could open her eyes as he kissed her. In the moonlight, with his eyes closed, Syaoran was simply beautiful. He rolled on top of her, and continued kissing her gently, sliding his tongue in and meeting hers waiting for him.

Then he began to kiss her chin, traveling down to her neck. Sakura sighed his name lovingly, and he felt her fingers slide to his hair, a gesture Syaoran was beginning to love. He began to nibble gently on the hollow of her neck, where the butterfly chain he'd given her rested, and her slim shoulders. She tasted as sweet as he thought she would, and she began to stroke his ears with her fingers.

_**I better stop here**_, he thought, _**before I do anything we'll regret**_. Syaoran made his way back to her lips, then whispered, "Feeling better, sweetheart?"

"Yes," she whispered back. They both laughed, and then he held her close until they fell asleep.

* * *

_**Thank Yous**_

_Wai! Because I love you guys, I updated this...while writing in the office, haha! The beginning of this story is based on real life; I know a couple who started out that way. Theirs was not a happy ending, though (they were forced to break up by the guy's family) but I can't do that to Sakura and Syaoran! So I wrote the story the way I felt it should have happened :)_

_Thank you for the reviews; it was wonderful to see so many! Thanks and hugs to rosedreamer101, StarAngel02 (Technically he isn't doing anything, haha!), animelover0328 (You know that with the Terrible Trio around, things are simply going to get more complicated, because they keep jumping to the wrong conclusions! XD), jennycuenca (Fluff is fun! So are the three!), aya-chan91, y-chan (We can expect nothing less from Syaoran, and from his mother as well ), AngelEmCuti (But the evil makes Syaoran absolutely desirable!) , ccsread, Lily887787, KibumiWong (glad you liked the lines!), MysticMoonEmpress, Ejoong (Checking it out, because I am interested in Bleach, thanks:D), Hououza (Yep, Yelan is too sharp, and she plays a key role here...I reviewed the first CCS movie and remembered she rocked!), DiamondRose3 (Even more fluff!), SakuraLover (Isn't Syaoran's mom just as evil as he is? XD), Pipi-chan (no lemons! Just for you! XD Kidding aside, even if they are adults, I thought it would be sweeter, and more in keeping with their natures, to wait a while; notice how Syaoran keeps holding back? Heh heh. Poor boy—well, he gets a LOT in the next fic so hey), iNuQTpIe (Momiji and Meiling both had to give up someone they loved to make them happy—if you like I can send you the first chap!), lhaine07 (sorry if it's diabetically sweet, haha), Rachel, Teruna-Hime (Aw, thanks. I enjoy making people laugh...which may be why the revisions of the other 2 fics is taking some time. Re plane scene-now wouldn't we all love to pass time on a scary plane flight doing just that with our favorite chocolate-haired boy? SQUEAL! XD),_

_I know this is going slowly for now, but I want to show you how the two are falling for each other. More Terrible Trio goodness in part three of this chap!_


	5. Conspiracies Unraveling

**Are You Gonna Let Her Get Away?**

**Chapter 5: In Which the Terrible Trio's Conspiracy Begins to Unravel**

**Disclaimer: **_Still don't own Syaoran, or Eriol. Darn it :( _

* * *

Sakura had been volunteered by Mei Ling to help Tomoyo with the decorations for the Seasons Hotel Ballroom, where the Nippon Picayune ball was to be held. It was the only ballroom big enough for the occasion—plus the Lis owned it—which attracted Japan's best and most beautiful, and Tomoyo was panicking about her décor.

Elegant large-scale masks, "cobwebs" with glitter, and glass décor and accents shone in the ballroom, which had been transformed into a Venetian dance floor, complete with heavy velvet draperies. Though it was exquisite, Tomoyo was agitated; the Swarovski crystal favors in the shape of small masks had not arrived yet, and the silver crepe streamers had not been intertwined with silver mesh before being hung. It was already four in the afternoon, the ball started at six thirty the next day, and workers were frantically carrying out Tomoyo's design plans.

Sakura cheerfully hung up glittered crepe streamers and silver mesh along the wall. She was also exchanging messages with Syaoran on their private phone, and the thrill kept her smiling happily. The last message? _**"I want to kiss you so bad, little blossom. I can taste your lips right now...and anything else you'll let me."**_

She blushed, giggled, and decided to torture him by not responding. Sakura knew he wouldn't be able to resist, and would call in a while; she wanted to hear his voice. Tonight Syaoran was dropping by, and she sighed, thinking of a way to make him stay over so that she could sleep in his strong arms again. She closed her eyes and touched her lips, looking like she was far away.

This did not escape Tomoyo, who nudged Mei Ling.

"Look at her. She looks absolutely blissful. Who is she texting?" Tomoyo asked.

"Probably the grey-haired guy," Mei Ling shrugged. "I'm calling Eriol to 'help' us and I'll make him drag Syaoran over. Might as well do some damage while we're here. I'm heading for the coffee shop; want anything?"

Tomoyo shook her head, and as Mei Ling left, she realized something. _**Wait a minute**_...Tomoyo remembered Mei Ling telling her that Sakura had called her a few weeks ago to describe a 'dark-haired' guy. And 'grey' was not 'dark'. Something was amiss.

Across town, Syaoran waited impatiently for Sakura's response. When none was forthcoming, he locked the door to his office and dialed her number.

_**Ring. Ring.**_

Sakura fled outside the ballroom, muttering a hasty "excuse me" to Tomoyo. Tomoyo, torn between overseeing her décor and following Sakura to listen in on her conversation, chose the latter. Sakura had hidden behind one of the large draperies outside in the corridor, and was murmuring into the phone. Tomoyo crept up quietly to better hear the conversation.

"...ran. I miss you," Sakura breathed. "Come home to me tonight. Please. I want your arms around me." Her voice was husky, and Tomoyo smiled. 'Ran'? Who was 'Ran'?

Silence, because Sakura was listening to the man on the other end of the line.

"You have no idea. I'll see you in a while, then. If you get there ahead of me, just use your keys. Bye."

_**Keys? The guy has keys to her house? That's serious. **_Tomoyo pretended to be walking towards the bathroom when Sakura came out from behind the draperies. "Sakura! What are you doing behind those draperies?"

Sakura looked flustered, then said, "Ah, just checking them out."

Tomoyo's cell phone trilled out her favorite aria from "Tosca", and she noticed it was Eriol. "Pardon me, Sakura, I have to take this." She walked off to where she knew Sakura could not hear her, flipped the phone open, and said, "Eriol."

"I'm coming over with Syaoran," Eriol said without preamble.

"And are you going to try and court Sakura under his nose?"

"No better time than the present to ruin his day," and Tomoyo could almost hear him smirking.

"All right then. But don't expect to be let off easy. You have to work with us. But I'll assign you to work with her. Then you will buy us dinner."

"No problemo," Eriol laughed. "I'm going to enjoy this."

As he ended the call, he banged on Syaoran's office door. "Hey hermit! Your mother wants you to come with me."

"What?"

"Open the damned door, Syaoran!"

It slid open, and Syaoran stood there, looking annoyed.

"I have somewhere to go in a bit," he began as he put on his coat and slid his wallet and cell phones into the pockets, but Eriol head-locked him and dragged him to the elevator.

"Dammit Eriol! Why do you have to keep doing this crap?" Syaoran snarled. "I have a commitment later!"

"Aw, Syaoran. I'm sure your society girl can wait." Syaoran's brown eyes widened as he managed to push Eriol's arms off him. _**What society girl is Eriol talking about? **_Suddenly he realized that his farce with a disguised Sakura had worked, and he fought the urge to laugh.

"Where are we going?" Syaoran asked.

"Seasons. Your mom wants us to pitch in and help Tomoyo decorate. Mei Ling and Sakura are already there."

Syaoran barely managed to stop a smile. This was a good opportunity to confuse the Terrible Trio even further. "Fine! Mother wants me to help Tomoyo, then fine. You drive." And Syaoran placed his hands behind his head, smirking at Eriol.

As they walked towards his car, Eriol decided to try an opening salvo to irritate Syaoran. "Surely you aren't meeting up with Sakura later, because I know where she is and I plan to invite her for dinner. You're not invited, though."

Syaoran only grunted, and Eriol was disappointed. Lately Syaoran had stopped blushing or hemming at the mention of Sakura. _**Which can only mean he's found someone to rebound with. **_Eriol started the BMW, turned on the heat, and reflected on Syaoran's odd behavior.

_**Crap. I'm going to make sure he's jealous! He has to wind up with Sakura or Yelan is going to make sure I can't have children of my own!**_

Time for drastic measures. "Ever noticed how kissable Sakura's lips are?" Eriol baited.

Syaoran looked at him calmly. "Yes, she's very beautiful. Just like the woman I love." And his eyes went soft as he smiled.

Eriol fought to keep his jaw right where it was. _**Just great.**_

"If you're interested, you could try courting Sakura," Syaoran suggested politely. "No harm there, unless she rejects you."

"Uh, yeah," Eriol said. They had reached the hotel, and Eriol allowed a valet to park his car. Mei Ling met them in the lobby, looking and sounding subdued. _**Another weird-acting cousin**_, Eriol thought. _**Give me a break!**_

They let Syaoran walk ahead of them, then, "Auntie was nagging at me to get married too," Mei Ling sighed when Eriol shot her a quizzical look. He smiled sympathetically, then whispered, "Let's take it out on Syaoran then, ne?"

Mei Ling brightened. "I already have a plan for tomorrow. Tell you later," she said, as they arrived at the ballroom.

Tomoyo immediately put them to work, assigning Sakura and Eriol to continue hanging streamers, Syaoran to oversee the workers doing the stage, and Mei Ling to harass the suppliers for the party favors and the food over the phone.

Eriol was trying subtly to always be near Sakura, but she was distracted and elusive, smiling at some memory. He'd started using flimsy pretexts, such as assisting her by holding the other end of the streamers she was hanging on the walls, but she was polite and clearly not even realizing what he was doing. It was only when Mei Ling glared at him that he guided her near where Syaoran was, and began flirting more aggressively.

"You're very pretty, you know?"

"Oh, thanks." She blushed lightly, but continued working.

When Eriol turned to see Syaoran's reaction, his cousin merely smiled, then turned his back on them to pick up a bolt of drapery silk.

"Ne, Syaoran," Eriol called. "I think I should ask Sakura to the ball!"

Syaoran turned, still smiling. "I think you should ask her, not me." Sakura giggled.

"I already have a date," she said. "You guys made me draw from the basket yesterday, remember?"

"Well, save me a dance," Eriol gave her a sexy smile, and she merely nodded.

Tomoyo watched the entire exchange, and thought something was fishy. Syaoran was too calm, and Sakura was too casual. They were polite and friendly with each other when, in the past, Syaoran couldn't stop mussing his hair and clearing his throat when she was around. Sakura, for her part, had stopped looking anxiously at Syaoran whenever he did or said anything. And she had stopped checking her cell phone when Syaoran arrived.

_**No, it can't be. Can it? **_Tomoyo wondered. _**But there was no way; how could they have found the time?**_

_**Maybe how they behave at dinner later will tell me more, **_she thought.

Mei Ling returned, and told Tomoyo the favors were arriving in a few minutes, and that she had made reservations at Ritual Spa for the morning before the ball. "That includes you, Sakura!"

"Ho..." and Sakura quickly choked off the expression. "Erm, me? Why?"

"Hey, it's the event of the season. You have to look good. Who knows when love..." and Mei Ling blatantly turned to Syaoran and grinned before looking back at Sakura, "will find you?"

"I think it already has," Sakura smiled softly, not noticing the dismay crossing Eriol's and Mei Ling's faces. Tomoyo wore a thoughtful expression, shifting her gaze from Sakura to Syaoran and back.

Syaoran fought to control himself. _**She said it, not me**_, he rejoiced inwardly. _**I think I'll tell her that I love her, tomorrow. **_He was proud of not blushing, of keeping a straight face when he said, "That's great, Sakura. I hope it finds me too."

_**It will, **_Sakura thought. _**Because I plan to tell you I love you during the ball.**_

"How much is this spa thing going to set me back?" Sakura worried.

"It's complimentary for editors," Mei Ling lied, kicking Tomoyo's shin quickly when the other woman was about to say something. "You just handle the tips. You get a massage with scented oil after a body scrub, a manicure and a pedicure, a honey facial, and a hair treatment, then a makeup session with the resident makeup artist. Don't fret; she doesn't do heavy makeup! It's a special occasion..."

"...and that's why I made a gown for you," Tomoyo inserted. Sakura was surprised, and showed it.

"Not that I'm not grateful, Tomoyo-san, but I can't..."

"I need someone to model it for me," Tomoyo said smoothly, "and all you have to do is fit it tomorrow morning before we head off for the spa. Okay?"

"I..." and Sakura quickly shot a glance at Syaoran, one which everyone but Tomoyo missed. "Okay. But you really must let me make it up to you guys sometime."

"Glad I don't have to go to a spa," Eriol smirked. "I'm already perfect."

His cousins and Tomoyo groaned, and Mei Ling threw a crumpled-up streamer at him.

"Okay. Let's have dinner at the Captain's Restaurant in ten minutes. Bill goes to me, dear people," Tomoyo said, "because this is my show. All right?" She flicked off most of the lights in the ballroom.

"I was hoping to ask Sakura to dinner at the Patisserie," Eriol said, naming a popular lover's hangout.

"Sorry, guys, but I have to get home," Sakura said. "Rain check?" She smiled at Eriol and the others.

Before he could respond, Eriol's phone suddenly rang, and as he answered it, he turned pale. He looked at Mei Ling and Tomoyo, then said, "We have to go for a while. Please excuse us, Sakura, Syaoran." As they exited, he hissed, "Yelan," at the two women with him. Mei Ling squeaked, and Tomoyo clapped a hand to her mouth.

"Is anything the matter?" Syaoran asked.

"Oh, no, no. We'll just be out for a second. See you tomorrow, Sakura. Syaoran, you go on ahead to the restaurant." The three fled down the corridor quickly, and Syaoran finally laughed.

"About time. Bless whoever called. I," and he pulled Sakura close to him, "have been waiting all day," and he brushed her lips with his, "for you."

Syaoran pulled Sakura into a dark corner of the ballroom, in the shadow of one of the draperies, and his lips sought hers out hungrily. They wrapped their arms around each other, Sakura stroking his back gently as they kissed.

They did not see Tomoyo, who had come back for one last obsessive-compulsive check on the ballroom prior to heading to the office where Yelan Li waited.

Tomoyo had never seen Syaoran that way with anyone, ever. He was trailing passionate kisses up and down Sakura's cheeks and neck, returning to her lips every now and then. His eyes were closed, and he was almost purring Sakura's name. She was arching himself into him, calling his name back in response.

After a while, Syaoran rubbed his cheek against Sakura's, then said softly, "We should be getting to the restaurant, sweetheart. They might wonder we've gone."

"Yeah, but before that..." Sakura reached up to pull Syaoran down again, and sighed as his tongue entered her mouth.

_**They are in love, and they fell on their own**_, Tomoyo realized.

She pulled out her phone and was about to call Mei Ling and Eriol when she thought, _**I can't do this. What they have is beautiful. Those two will just make fun of this. This will be their secret- and mine!**_

Her decision was made. Tomoyo quietly crept out of the ballroom, and made her way to the office. Yelan, whose beauty belied her age, nodded when Tomoyo arrived.

"I hear you arranged for Syaoran to escort Sakura to the ball," she said without preamble.

"Yes, we fixed it!" Mei Ling said enthusiastically. "He drew her number because her number was the only one in the basket we gave him. Same with Sakura."

"And you couldn't come up with a better plan?" The corners of Yelan's lips curled. "It saddens me that you think Syaoran is no smarter than a high school boy."

"But Auntie! They'll be together!"

"Only for the night. How does that bring them together? You should have arranged for _**Eriol**_to draw Sakura's number, so that he could have annoyed Syaoran to the point where he would have felt compelled to step in," Yelan said.

The Terrible Trio were silent. Eriol's face was scrunched in determination; he was determined to annoy Syaoran further, while Mei Ling, whose eyes were flashing, wanted to throw the plan to hell and simply force the two together in one room again. Only Tomoyo was not thinking along the same lines as the other two, and her pretty face was calm and placid.

"You two can go. I need to discuss the ball with Tomoyo," Yelan said. Mei Ling and Eriol fled as quickly as decency would allow, while Tomoyo remained behind.

Turning to Tomoyo, Yelan said, "You were always a good observer, Tomoyo. You know, don't you?"

"I saw them kissing in the ballroom," Tomoyo said quietly.

"Good," Yelan said. "Will you help nudge things along then?"

"I will," Tomoyo smiled.

"If I didn't think Eriol might not deserve you, I would ask you to consider him as a possible suitor," Yelan said to Tomoyo. "But if he grows up, I hope you will reconsider. You can provide much-needed balance to his life."

Tomoyo blushed. She'd always thought Eriol was cute, if irresponsible. Perhaps it was time to look at him with different eyes.

"Good luck tomorrow then. And may I assume," Tomoyo could have sworn the older woman's eyes twinkled, "that you made Sakura a costume for tomorrow?"

"Of course!" Tomoyo lit up, pulled out her SmartPhone, and showed Yelan photographs of the floaty white dress she'd made for Sakura.

"Lovely. Your taste is exquisite," Yelan said. "I'll see you, then."

Tomoyo hurried to the restaurant, and was not surprised to see that Sakura had already left, begging some excuse or the other. Syaoran had not moved, even when Eriol offered to take her home. Instead, he was eating his dinner calmly.

It was Eriol who cut the quiet dinner short and said for them to just meet up in the lobby the next day at six. "We're tired," he said. "Want a lift, Syaoran?"

"No, I'll just cab it home."

Tomoyo knew he was going to Sakura's but kept quiet. The Terrible Trio sat in their seats, having coffee, when Mei Ling said, "Maybe we should just give up. This isn't working."

"No," Eriol said calmly. "I think we can still get them together."

Tomoyo remained silent.

Syaoran quickly found a cab and hurried to Sakura's house. She was waiting at the door, and flung herself at him when he arrived.

"Hey, hey, little blossom!" he laughed. "I missed you too for the last hour."

"Don't be cute," she chided gently. "Please stay over?"

"Want me to sleep with you?"

"Well, since you already have a change of clothes here..." Sakura smiled at him.

"I..." Syaoran was dying to tell her, but stopped himself. _**It can wait until tomorrow**_, he thought.

"What?"

"I know you drew number 126 as your date," he said.

"And I know you drew number 211 as yours," Sakura said.

"Hey, 211, would you dance the night away with me?"

Sakura suddenly blushed a bright red. "I...I don't know..."

"You don't want to dance with me?" Syaoran's brown eyes held hers in their gaze.

"No...I just...I've never been to a dance before," Sakura sighed, and drooped a bit. "Nobody asked me in high school."

"You?" Syaoran was surprised. How could someone so pretty be dateless?

"Yeah, I was a dork in high school. No one liked me," Syaoran could hear the regret and pain in her voice, and though he wanted to know what had hurt her so, he decided she would tell him in her own time.

"Poor baby," he said gently. Then he walked over to her laptop, downloaded something, and set it to play on a loop. It was a waltz from a popular movie about a young wizard; Sakura vaguely remembered watching that movie, because she had thought the actor was handsome; he also had messy chocolate brown hair, although his eyes were blue. Harry Porter?

"It's from Harry Potter," Syaoran answered her unspoken question. "It's an easy waltz to dance to."

Sakura raised an eyebrow as the music played, but Syaoran merely smiled. He put one hand on her waist, taking her left hand and placing it in the same position, and took her right hand in his own, raising it to about shoulder level.

"Dancing a waltz is easy," Syaoran began, thanking the gods for having paid attention in his 'gentleman's classes' in high school. "It's a bit sexist but you follow my lead. You don't have to follow the beats. The most basic step," and he guided her, "is just pretty much shuffling from side to side, like so...one-two, one-two. Usually this is the step used when women are in long skirts that sweep the floor; it lets them move without making them fall."

Sakura got it quickly, and they waltzed around her living room. Sakura had never thought dancing a waltz would be fun, but with Syaoran teaching her, it was. He taught her how to twirl herself, his hand providing the pivot point; he also showed her how to time it if he were to pick her up by the waist and lift her with the music. And he showed her other variations on waltzing. It was easy, because she was a willing and eager student.

_**Syaoran is wonderful, **_Sakura thought, as she looked up at him. He was perfect in every way, even when he was less than perfect; she loved it when he crinkled his nose, or when he was awkward, or when he laughed at himself when he made a mistake. _**I want to tell him now, but tomorrow might be better. **_

Outside, the snow fell as they began to laugh. Syaoran had stopped counting; Sakura had easily picked up the steps, and was happily following his lead. It was as though she had been born to dance with him. Sakura was enjoying how the dance allowed them to be close, and after a while, she became hyper with happiness, speeding up and spinning until they collapsed, laughing, on the floor.

_**She really is the one for me, **_Syaoran thought happily, as he bent down to kiss Sakura. She wiggled out of his embrace, grinned, then headed for the bathroom. He used the guest bathroom to wash up and change, and since he was faster than Sakura, he waited for her outside her bathroom.

Sakura came out, yawning, in a fleecy pink nightgown that would keep her warm. Syaoran smiled, then picked her up and brought her to bed, sliding her between the sheets then following. She sighed; she'd gotten her wish. She would wake up on Christmas Eve with him by her side. She easily drifted into sleep after Syaoran pulled her into a spooning embrace; that way his arm didn't have to go numb. Though he'd been hoping to kiss her again, he didn't mind, and a goofy grin was on his face.

_**I'm going to tell her tomorrow. I'm never going to let her get away. **_

Two blissful lovers spent the night in each other's arms as the snow turned the world outside into a winter wonderland, not knowing the pleasant surprise in store for them the next day.

* * *

**Happy Shout-Outs**

Thank you, thank you (hugs and kisses) to all who reviewed, favorited, and placed this story on alert! **ccsread** (Sorry, more suspense, haha), **Pipi-chan** (I think that because Syaoran loves her, he wants not to rush her into anything. Besides, he's getting MORE than his share in the other fic, mwahaha), **Lolalaie89** (I like to write about the sweet side of Syaoran—some people have said he's more like the TRC than the CCS Syaoran XD), **lhaine07** (aww, thanks so much, and that means a lot to me, if you can read this and want to dream it), **AngelEmCuti** (here you go!), **Hououza** (Definitely those plans are so gonna backfire, again And yes, Syaoran is enjoying getting the better of them), **rosedreamer101** (sorry if I confused you, I meant that Syaoran doesn't want to push Sakura into making love yet, that's all), **iNuQTpIe**(I mailed it to you using the addy on your profile page; hope you got it), **jennycuenca**(I love Tomoyo, and if I ever make a sequel to this, it will be about her and Eriol--evil laughter), **hearts-stars**( :) ),**animelover0328**(here you go!), **Adelaide MacGregor** (aw, thanks!), **Riley S **(I swear, I like Discovery too, and sorry if it sounded like Syaoran was pathetic for watching it! Only, I meant he is addicted to that channel), and **MysticMoonEmpress**(next one should be up in two days, enjoy!)

_(Darn, why does FFN remove certain kinds of smileys?)_

Just a little bit to go, but the fluff continues to fly! Suffice it to say Syaoran will surprise everyone, even himself, during the ball. The Terrible Trio's three different plans will definitely create problems even Yelan could not have foreseen!

Borrowing Fai for the next chapter, heh heh.

As for those who are also reading my other stories, (hearts, hellos to**Pipi-chan**!), thanks to the latest TRC development, "Body Memories" (M because of two, erm, necessarily explicit chapters) will finish ahead of "Intersections". The twist in the latest chapter helped the first fic big time, while forcing me to rewrite the ending of the second (argh). Please bear with me.

When "Are You Gonna Let Her Get Away?" ends (which will be soon), I'm still figuring out whether to upload the angsty story featuring Mei Ling, or another fluff story that involves the terrible trio—but this time, in high school—or the story of Clone Syaoran (yeah, yeah, I'm stuck on him, sorry). Any votes will be taken seriously :D And if anyone has an idea, let me know!

Thank you so much!


	6. Before the Ball Part I

**Are You Gonna Let Her Get Away? **

**Disclaimer: **_I don't own CCS. Only the plot here :D_

**Chapter Six: Before the Ball, Part One**

**Girl Talk, Spa Stories**

The morning after Syaoran taught her how to dance, she kissed him goodbye at the door and headed for Tomoyo's condominium, full of anticipation for the ball.

When Sakura tried on the dress Tomoyo had designed for her at the latter's condominium, she was pleasantly surprised that it fit perfectly, hugging her body while allowing her to move freely. Tomoyo wasn't surprised; in fact, she was pleased. Years of designing and dressmaking had made her an expert at gauging sizes.

Sakura's dress was white and made of gossamer-like chiffon over silk, and hugged her curves without being obviously seductive. The sleeveless dress had ruffles at the backs of the shoulder straps that made her look like she had little wings. The top fit like a bodice and was beaded with tiny crystals on lace, and the asymmetrical skirt flared out at her hips and fluttered as she moved. Silver accents that curved into her waist on the bodice and the skirt flattered Sakura's figure.

"She looks like a fairy princess!" Tomoyo squealed. She added a tiny silver tiara, a glittery silver mask, and lace-up white sandals. "Lovely." She took a photo, much to Sakura's surprise ("Hoee?"); she intended to use the photo to get someone into the prince costume she had hidden in the next room.

"Oh, I love it," Sakura said in delight as she twirled before the mirror gracefully. Tomoyo smiled; Syaoran was going to have a hard time resisting this vision in white. "But…white? I'm kinda clumsy; oh Tomoyo-san, you might kill me if I spill punch on this or something!" She looked terrified at the thought, and her fingers worried the fabric nervously.

"Who cares?" Tomoyo smiled. "You love it, that's good enough for me." She walked around Sakura, assessing the fit, and laughing in joy when she saw that no adjustments were needed.

Mei Ling sailed into the room, greeting Tomoyo and Sakura casually. She turned to Tomoyo. "Tomoyo, I hate to bug you, but about my dress?" she asked.

"Ah yes. It's in my bedroom, in the black box," Tomoyo said.

"Great. I'll try it on now." And Mei Ling disappeared into Tomoyo's bedroom.

"And for the finishing touches…" Tomoyo opened a large jewelry case. Out came a pair of simple diamond drop earrings in a platinum setting, with a dainty, slender matching necklace. They were from Tomoyo's own collection; she had designed them long ago. Tomoyo decided not to tell Sakura what they were worth because she knew Sakura would refuse to wear them if she knew.

Then she noticed the little white gold chain with the diamond-studded butterfly glistening on Sakura's neck. _**I've seen that before, at the Old Wang Jewellery in Wan Chai in Hong Kong**_, Tomoyo thought. _**The shop owner refused to sell it to me because he said he only sold it to lovers. Which means…**_

"That's a lovely necklace, but it won't go with the earrings," Tomoyo said cheerfully, waiting to see Sakura's reaction.

Sakura's hand flew to her throat. "I…I can't take it off," she blushed. "I'm sorry…"

"Someone special gave it to you?"

"My boyfriend," and Sakura blushed even harder.

"Will he be at the ball?" Tomoyo knew she was putting Sakura on the spot but she wanted to see how much information she could get out of her while flustered.

"I…well, yeah," Sakura said.

Tomoyo smiled at Sakura, then ushered her into the next room to change into regular clothes. She went into her bedroom to check on Mei Ling.

Mei Ling came straight to the point as soon as Tomoyo came into her bedroom. "Eriol is doing a magnificent job, isn't he?" she asked sarcastically. "Oh yeah, he's gonna have Sakura eating out of his hand tonight." She crossed her arms and tapped one foot impatiently. "Maybe I should call him and give him a piece of my mind."

"You've given Eriol so many pieces of your mind already, it's a surprise he doesn't own it," Tomoyo said somewhat waspishly. Mei Ling started; she had rarely heard this tone from the sweet, quiet Tomoyo.

"Is there a problem?" Mei Ling asked.

Tomoyo was hanging up Sakura's costume, and took some time to reply. "I think you should stop pressuring Eriol. His heart isn't in the whole business of pretending to court Sakura, and you know it. When he goes for women, you know his type: big-breasted, sensual looking, long hair, aggressive…plus Yelan's threats aren't helping. You know he hates being under pressure, and has never done well when he is expected or required to do something. Plus he wants so badly to annoy Syaoran that his attention isn't on Sakura at all," she said thoughtfully.

Mei Ling didn't make a tart comment; instead, she was watching Tomoyo's face. Tomoyo knew Eriol so well, had known him for years. But the tone which she used when talking about him…Mei Ling remembered what Yelan had told her a few days ago:_ "Perhaps Tomoyo could bring balance to Eriol's wild life. But it may never happen." The older woman had sighed regretfully. _

"_It would be nice to see them together, Auntie," Mei Ling said. Not that the thought hadn't crossed her mind; it was just that Tomoyo was so different from the sexy, snobbish women Eriol regularly dated and bedded, earning him a regular spot in the tabloids. "But it might not work out. Tomoyo is a lady, and Eriol is…well, wild as a rat. I like Tomoyo and I don't want her to just be another notch on his bedpost."_

"_Ah well," and Yelan had sighed dramatically again. Mei Ling looked at her, unaccustomed to such a display from the nominal head of the Li clan. She completely missed the look in Yelan's eyes, which assessed Mei Ling for her reaction to Yelan's innuendoes._

"_Imagine what we could do if we had the Daidouji heir allied with us in marriage," Mei Ling said suddenly. She saw a chance to get Yelan off her back when it came to her own vagabond ways with men. "I can try to set them up, Auntie. But it won't be easy…"_

"_No, Mei Ling," Yelan said. "If we force them together, it will never work. Let the gods find a way instead."_

And now, Mei Ling was beginning to wonder if there wasn't a little affection on both sides. At lunch the other day, Eriol had mentioned that Tomoyo was rather beautiful. Come to think of it, he often mentioned Tomoyo, but it usually sailed past Mei Ling's head because she never thought it was significant.

Was that enough? Part of Mei Ling's mind was scolding her, telling her to stop being impetuous and to stop jumping to conclusions. _**Look how wrong you were about Sakura and Syaoran!**_ The other part, unfortunately the more dominant one, was telling her, **To hell with it all, I want to matchmake someone and if it can't be Syaoran then it will be Eriol!**

"Just put on the gown," Tomoyo said to Mei Ling, then left the room. She found Sakura in the dressing room, in a shirt and jeans and carefully carrying the gown and the accessories, which she set on a nearby table.

"Tomoyo-san, thank you so much for everything," Sakura said.

"There's a better way to thank me," Tomoyo smiled.

"I'll do it!"

"Call me Tomoyo-chan. Or just Tomoyo," and she sat down. She looked at Sakura for a long moment, then reached out and clasped Sakura's hands between hers.

"I'd love to be your friend," Sakura said, and smiled a beautiful, cheerful smile that made Tomoyo want to reach for her camera. Instead, she was reminded of why she wanted to talk to Sakura in the first place.

"I have to tell you something. I saw you last night. You and Syaoran," Tomoyo said softly. "In the ballroom."

It was amusing to watch Sakura's reaction. She blushed the gamut of colors from pink to red, and began to stammer. Tomoyo gently cut her off.

"I haven't told anyone else, don't worry." Tomoyo said. _**Except for Yelan, but Sakura doesn't need to know that!**_ "I've been Syaoran's friend since college, and I've never seen him the way he is with you. And I would be happy if you two stayed together. You're good for each other," Tomoyo smiled.

Relieved that she had someone to talk to, Sakura blew her breath out, ruffling her bangs. "I've never felt this way about anyone else before. Syaoran is funny, he's sweet, he's so thoughtful and kind, he even kis…I mean, he…" And she dissolved into nervous giggles. Tomoyo giggled as well.

"You mean he's a good kisser," Tomoyo said, grinning at Sakura's discomfort. "No, I haven't kissed him but I knew the person he dated before you."

"Oh." And Sakura stiffened somewhat. "I hope he isn't a serial dater like Eriol," she said sadly.

"Sakura, the last time Syaoran dated was in college, and that was five years ago. He's been hard at work ever since. I'm guessing that the reason why he leaves work early these days is because of you, right?" Sakura nodded, and Tomoyo continued. "That he takes his time off to be with you is a big thing; his last ex broke it off because he was always working and studying."

"Really?" Sakura was trying hard not to smile from ear to ear, but was failing completely. Tomoyo grinned, then added, "She told me that the hardest part about breaking it off was finding someone else who could kiss and make love the way Syaoran did."

Again, Sakura blushed violently, but this time, she looked away from Tomoyo's eyes. Not a problem; Tomoyo had learned a lot already based on her reactions. They showed that Sakura and Syaoran had not been intimate, and she marvelled at the depth of Syaoran's love for Sakura. What she hadn't told Sakura was that his ex had told her that Syaoran had a healthy appetite for lovemaking. Tomoyo wasn't surprised; her old friend was, after all, a healthy young man, and was of prime marriageable age. And he didn't indulge in casual affairs the way Eriol did.

_**Eriol would've had Sakura in bed within days**_, she thought…and then paused, her eyes flying wide open, when she realized that she was beginning to think of Eriol a little too often ever since Yelan had dropped her little bombshell. She pushed his image out of her mind, and focused on Sakura instead. There was something else she was curious about.

"About that photo you sent Mei Ling…"

"Oh, that?" Sakura giggled. "That was Yukito Tsukishiro, my childhood crush. He's my brother's best friend. I had such an awful crush on him back when I was ten. He's a good friend now. I happened to have that on my phone, so I sent it."

"Do you have any of you with Syaoran?"

"Yeah," Sakura smiled softly, digging her phone out of her bag. In the phone's gallery were several photos of her and Syaoran hugging, even kissing. In each photo, they looked quite happy. Tomoyo resisted the urge to send the photos to her own phone. But she was reminded of the other reason why Syaoran had let go of his ex; his mother had not approved. She knew Yelan would test the depth of their commitment to each other, and didn't want to interfere, but she felt Sakura could use a word of caution,

"Sakura?"

"Yes, Tomoyo-sa…chan?"

"Whatever happens, you should always fight for love."

"Hoe?"

"Just that." Tomoyo smiled.

Sakura was struck by Tomoyo's beauty. _**I would have loved to have her eyes**_, she thought. Tomoyo's long raven hair, which curled gently instead of being sleek and straight like Mei Ling's, her high cheekbones, her womanly figure..._**I wonder why she's single?**_

She didn't get to answer her question as Mei Ling came out of Tomoyo's bedroom in a black tube sheath studded with sequins. It plunged nearly halfway down her generous cleavage, sparkled when she moved—thus emphasizing her curves, and was very slinky and sexy. On the side, it was slit to mid-thigh, showing off Mei Ling's creamy legs. "Now this ought to make people notice," she said, as she admired herself in the mirror. Sakura gasped.

"Wow, Mei Ling…that's very…daring," was all she was able to say. In contrast to Tomoyo, Mei Ling was conscious of her beauty, and used it as a weapon. Yet she, too, had not settled for a single man in her life, flitting from man to man like a restless butterfly. Sakura had never asked Mei Ling about it, even if they'd known each other for a few years now.

"Yelan might not like it," Tomoyo warned.

"Good," Mei Ling smirked. "The painter who calls himself Fai Flourite is attending, and I intend to monopolize him! So what're you wearing, Tomoyo?"

Tomoyo smiled, and went into her room. After a few minutes, she came out in a lavender princess-cut ankle-length gown in silk that complemented her violet eyes. Naturally it fit her perfectly, emphasizing her regal, dignified demeanor. Gold accents in strategic areas lent her gown an interesting facet; they attracted the eye to Tomoyo's gentle curves.

"Ooh, Eriol's gonna like that on you," Mei Ling blurted. She remembered Eriol saying once that if only Tomoyo would wear something sexy, he might be inspired to do something.

"Huh?" Tomoyo's eyebrows raised dangerously.

Mei Ling quickly said, "Time to go to the spa!" She cheerfully marched out of the room while congratulating herself on how smoothly (or so she thought) she had dropped Eriol's name in the conversation. _**If I can't matchmake Sakura and Syaoran, **_she thought, _**I will pair up Eriol and Tomoyo instead! **_She hummed a cheerful tune all the way down the elevator, and into the spa.

At Ritual Spa, the three were handed thick terrycloth robes and ushered into a private room. Mei Ling took the offensive and asked Sakura, "Tell me about your guy. Why haven't I met him?"

Sakura smiled coyly, because her face was hidden in the gap in the massage table. She said, "But you have. You'll see, maybe later."

It was Tomoyo's turn to smile. _**I am not putting Mei Ling out of her misery. **_She turned over, and requested that the attendant put in more chamomile in the scented oil burner.

"So tell me about him. How did you meet?" Mei Ling asked.

"Quite by accident. A mutual friend introduced us. It took some time, but...well, here we are."

"Have you two had sex?" Mei Ling asked.

"Mei Ling!" Sakura protested.

"Come on. You're an adult!"

Sakura thought of a truthful response. "We sleep together many nights," and she turned over to let her masseuse reach the back of her legs. "When he has me in his arms, it's like the world has gone away and there's only peace."

Mei Ling squealed. "Aw! That's so great!" And she thought, _**I have to talk to Auntie. It really is time to give up on pairing her with Syaoran,**_ she thought guiltily.

"So, Mei Ling," Tomoyo asked slyly. "How come you haven't settled down yet?"

"Why should I?" And to Mei Ling's own surprise, she blushed.

Tomoyo pounced. "Aha! So spill. You don't date guys for very long, so I suspect trauma in the past."

Mei Ling winced as the masseuse unknotted the tension in her shoulders, then, "All right. In college—remember I went abroad for that, Tomoyo?–I fell badly for a guy. He was Hispanic; I remember his name: Florian. He was the typical romance cliché, you know: tall, dark, handsome. Only, we were freshmen. He was going to go off to med school, and he wanted to get married immediately after freshman year! I laughed at him when he asked me to marry him; I didn't think he was serious. But he said, 'Mei Ling, I want forever now. I want you to be there when I go through med school, waiting for me. As my wife. But if you say no now, it will be forever.' What was I supposed to do? My parents would have had kittens if I'd brought a foreigner home, then said I was gonna marry him just months after meeting! So I said no."

Tomoyo opened one violet eye. "Florian Rivera?" she asked. "The owner of Rivera Biochem?"

Mei Ling didn't answer; instead, she sank her head into the massage couch.

The three masseuses finished brushing scented oil over the three young women, and turned on the steamer, bowing as they left.

"But if he loved you, wouldn't he have waited?" Sakura asked, her eyes sympathetic.

"No. He asked me twice, then after I said no for the last time, he walked off. The next day, he was gone…he'd dropped out and transferred to another school! I mean, I thought…all the time we spent together…and then just like that, poof! He was gone."

"It wasn't fair of him to expect a response to a question that would have determined the rest of your life in just one go," Tomoyo said soothingly.

Mei Ling wasn't listening. "I was torn apart. When I found where he'd transferred, I tried to talk to him, to explain my side. He shook me off and acted like I wasn't even there. He was as cold as ice. All he said was that I should've thought it over."

The other two were silent, then Mei Ling let out a harsh laugh. "That's why I refuse to be tied down. Being hurt is hell. I hate not being in control of my emotions, and I never want to settle down again."

"But Mei Ling, 'never' can be such a short time," Tomoyo said softly.

"Whatever. How about you, Tomoyo?"

To her surprise, Tomoyo blushed. "I'm afraid I have no stories to share," she blushed. "I've been studying hard, working on my hobbies…so, really, there's been no one."

"You've never been kissed? No way!" Mei Ling sat up.

"I never said that," Tomoyo said with a mysterious smile.

"Spill! I spilled, so it's your turn!"

"In college, there was this guy named Richard. I usually went to a kiosk where his group hung out. I could hear them teasing him about me, but all he ever did was look at me and blush every time I was there. It was no good for me either because I could never get the nerve to approach him. This went on for two years. On the last day of school, right before he graduated, I was walking past the kiosk and he was there. Maybe the prospect of graduation made him do it; maybe because no one else was there…I don't know. But he came up to me, said, 'I've been wanting to meet you for so long.' I told him my name, he told me his…then he kissed me! Just like that."

Sakura squealed. "So romantic! And what did you do?"

"When we broke off the kiss, I…well, I ran." Tomoyo blushed. "I never saw him again."

"Sakura, it's your turn," Mei Ling piped up.

"If we're talking college experiences, all I have are bad ones," Sakura sighed. "I didn't have a steady boyfriend in college, not even a romantic experience. I mean, I thought it was romantic when one of the basketball varsity guys asked me out. On our first date, he took my hand, looked into my eyes…then said that since I had good grades, it would be great if I could help the school win the championship by being his girlfriend and doing his homework! When I didn't answer immediately, the idiot thought I said yes, and added that he would be dating other girls too."

Tomoyo and Mei Ling both roared. "Sakura, that stinks!" Mei Ling choked out.

"No kidding," Sakura said. "Then there's that male model who I met while working for Femme Magazine. He told me that he wanted to date me because I looked like a virgin. Ugh."

"Men," Tomoyo sighed. "They were all we talked about as teens. Here we are, grown women, and we're still talking about them."

"Can you think of a better topic?" Mei Ling raised an eyebrow.

"Other men?" Tomoyo said innocently, and they all laughed so loud, the attendants were startled when they came back to usher the three to the hot spa.

0-0-0

It's the boys' turn next chapter, which will be up quickly! Sorry for the delay; my laptop charger is broken and I have to sneak uploads at a net café near my place XD

Here's a preview of the next chapter (up in 24 hours):

_**To his shock, Syaoran grabbed him so fast he had no time to react. Eriol found himself pinned to the wall, his toes an inch off the floor, and Syaoran had an iron grip on his shirt front. On one hand, good, he had made Syaoran lose control. On the other hand, bad, because Syaoran was nearly red with anger…and when Syaoran was angry, no one could beat him in a fight.**_

0-0-0

Even more thanks here: **y-chan** (er, he was forced into it and didn't really want to do it. The next chap shows why XD, plus the other two are so focused on other things, they can't see past the tips of their noses! Re the making out, they are at an age where they can pretty much do what they like, and my friends at that age cannot keep their hands off each other, not even when we're around, sheesh), **ccsread** (in less than a day the update will be here!), **tennislover431** (like Syaoran? Me first!—grabs Syaoran in a death grip XD), **animelover0328**, **DiamondRose3** (Work gets in the way, boy do I know it! Hope you're OK), **elandra** (erm, thanks for the suggestions but I felt that it proves Syaoran loves her, that he isn't bedding her yet), **winterkaguya**, **jennycuenca** (isn't it sad how few straight guys can dance? And I'm putting the seeds for the Eriol/Tomoyo story here, haha. Sorry, for delaying the ball a bit), **RileyS** (hee hee! You bad! I imagine Syaoran munching popcorn as "Meerkat House" is on, haha), **ccscy –littlewolf-** (cheer up, there is a spinoff/sequel coming), **KibumiWong** (ha! I call dibs on Syaoran!), **lhaine07** (I dream of it too!), **CCslover22**, **hearts-stars **(guess what she's gonna do to Syaoran next chap? Plus, spinoff with her in it coming up!), **SakuraLover** (Give her time, she'll get to it!), **ddd**, **Lolalaie89**, **rosedreamer101**, **Hououza** (darn it, you gave me away, see next chap! XD), **x-Melodyz-x** (aw thanks!), **AngelEmCuti **(updating fast!), **iNuQTpIe** (I love her too!), and **Pipi-chan** (Yeah, especially when Kamui is supposed to die…argh gotta get my hands on it! Yes please do so that I can download at the office mwahaha).


	7. Before the Ball Part 2

**Are You Gonna Let Her Get Away?**

**Chapter 7: Before the Ball 2 **

**Boys Will Be Boys**

Syaoran was a bit frustrated. Not only hadn't he been able to contact Sakura the whole day—she had sent him a text message saying she was with Tomoyo and Mei Ling and could not talk—he had overlooked something important, something which would annoy his mother in a bad way: what was he going to wear to the ball?

Mentally he rummaged through his closet, and remembered he had a black tuxedo. Pathetic, but it would work. He hoped.

Now he was rummaging through the refrigerator in his office; he'd just realized that he had forgotten to eat lunch when Eriol came in. Hard to miss the booming voice; it grated across his consciousness like nails on a blackboard. Syaoran pulled out a chicken salad sandwich and some bottled iced tea as he tried to ignore Eriol. He sat down at his desk and unwrapped the sandwich.

"Syaoran my boy," Eriol began mock-pompously.

"Quit the crap," Syaoran growled. "I'm busy. With work. Plus I'm trying to have a peaceful lunch. Shouldn't you be taking care of coordinating the payments with Tomoyo?"

Eriol blanched a bit, but recovered quickly. "Oh, she said she assigned her assistants to take care of it."

"Irresponsible, as always," Syaoran sniped as he sank his teeth gratefully into the sandwich and gulped some iced tea.

"Oh, dear. Didn't we get any last night?" Eriol needled.

"Even if I did, I wouldn't tell you," Syaoran snorted.

"Well, you're testy. The obvious conclusion: society girl didn't put out for you?" Eriol was enjoying himself; Syaoran was clearly getting annoyed.

Syaoran gritted his teeth. _**I am not going to lose my temper. I am not going to lose my temper. I am going to lose my temper with Eriol…dammit...I am not going to lose my temper!**_ "None of your business," he ground out.

Eriol grinned a feral grin; since Syaoran was attending to the last minute details of the guest list, he was on tenterhooks. "Dear me. Ah well. At least I have that dance with Sakura to look forward to. I'll invite her back to my apartment afterwards. After all she told me earlier," and Eriol watched for Syaoran's reaction, "…that she would like to spend time with me." A blatant lie, but worth it, because he thought he saw Syaoran flinch.

_**Yeah right,**_ Syaoran thought. Like Sakura would talk to him like that. He suppressed a smile, then realized Eriol had misinterpreted his action.

"Don't worry; I'll be sure to bed Sakura enough for you later," Eriol smirked. "I wonder how loud she is in bed? Do you think she's a virgin?" He leered at Syaoran, and winked playfully. Syaoran didn't look like he was going to react anyway. How wrong he was, he would find out in an instant.

It was too much for Syaoran. To Eriol's shock, Syaoran grabbed him so fast he had no time to react. Eriol found himself pinned to the wall, his toes an inch off the floor, and Syaoran had an iron grip on his shirt front. On one hand, good, he had made Syaoran lose control for the first time in five years. On the other hand, bad, because Syaoran was nearly red with anger…and when Syaoran was angry, no one could beat him in a fight. He'd once taken on four guys in college and won when he was angry at them for harassing his then-girlfriend.

"Don't you dare talk about her that way," Syaoran snarled, his copper eyes flashing dangerously.

Eriol wasn't stupid, but he couldn't resist. "I thought you went to Hong Kong with that other woman?" he asked. "So you rebounded with her when nothing happened with Sakura when you two were trapped in this office? Of course I'm going to bug you about that other woman!"

_**This idiot is never going to figure it out, **_Syaoran thought, but the thought doused the anger in him somewhat. Eriol felt the tight grip on his shirt loosening, and found himself lowered to the floor. Syaoran, breathing hard, turned away from Eriol. "Get out," he said quietly. "Get out before I do something I regret."

The two young men stood quietly for a few moments, one shaking his head, the other staring stonily out of the window.

"I may have gone too far," Eriol said after a while. "But I'm not apologizing." Syaoran whipped around, fists clenched. Eriol gulped, but plunged on recklessly. "You're consoling yourself with someone who's no better than a free-for-all, believe me. Why don't you just go for Sakura?"

"I thought _**you**_ wanted her?" Syaoran said coldly.

"Bullshit, Syaoran. You're not stupid and neither am I. Yeah, I wanted to see how you would react. But you haven't even said anything about her!" Eriol bravely took a step towards Syaoran, who didn't budge.

Syaoran was slowly calming down as he realized how close he'd come to blowing the careful concealment he and Sakura had created around their relationship…and to think it had been his idea!

But he had to be careful now. His reaction had betrayed him to Eriol. One wrong word and Eriol would go running to Yelan with information Syaoran definitely did not want his mother to have.

"Eriol. Just drop it," he sighed. "Please."

"Syaoran," Eriol began. "I would gladly bug you until you beat me up. Let's just say I have a vested interest in seeing you two together. I just wish you wouldn't end up with a dumb society girl."

Syaoran carefully stayed silent and kept his face blank as he stared Eriol down.

Eriol looked at Syaoran. The pause meant Syaoran was thinking of something. Of all his cousins, Syaoran was the hardest to read when he was determined to hide something. But the evidence pointed to Syaoran rebounding with another girl; Sakura was with someone else, Mei Ling had confirmed it just a while ago.

Could Eriol be in league with his mother? Syaoran wondered. But Yelan had been fairly normal lately, and had even found time to nag him about not coming home regularly. If Eriol had told Yelan about Syaoran liking Sakura, his mother would probably have demanded to meet Sakura within the hour.

_**Yeah, and then she's going to judge Sakura on the sole basis of not being Chinese,**_ Syaoran thought angrily. _**Well, I'm not going to let that happen. If Mother refuses Sakura, I'm going to tell her to go to hell.**_

A part of him was perversely thrilled at his own plans of disobedience. The other part, the dutiful son part, understood that there would be grave consequences if he defied Yelan. He was, after all, the only son of the eldest son of the main line, and none of his cousins were ready to take over his duties if he ran away. _**What will happen to my family then?**_

But he thought of Sakura's smiles, her scent, her kisses, her voice, the way she had of soothing his worries, her laughter…and decided it would be worth it, if it meant she could be his forever. _**Someone who cares about me not because of what I have, but for who I am.**_

_**It all depends on what she'll say when I tell her tonight.**_ Syaoran turned away from Eriol to hide a smile. Sakura made him smile, and it gave him a warm feeling inside.

Then he decided to shift the offensive.

"Look who's lecturing me," he said sarcastically. "Mr. I-have-a-new-girl-every-two-weeks. What makes you think you have the right to tell me who to end up with?"

To his surprise, Eriol looked away. "Don't start, Syaoran."

"Oh yes I will," Syaoran said, sensing he'd hit a sore spot. _**My turn to rub in the salt,**_ he thought. "Do you find any fulfillment in bedding that many women? Can't you commit at all?"

"Sure, like you have," Eriol answered back.

"I know _**I**_ have a track record for committing. In case you haven't noticed, I've only had a few relationships. I don't know about your record for commitment, unless you define commitment as dating only one girl per week instead of two." Syaoran knew he was holding the whip now, and was more than willing to use it; he was ready to remind Eriol of the public fight between two women, whom Eriol had been dating simultaneously, at a big department store about a year ago. They'd met in the lingerie section, talking to their friends about what underwear would please Eriol best, and overheard each other.

_**What a mess,**_ Syaoran thought. He'd had to clean it up, and he shuddered at the memory. One woman had been the daughter of the owner of the biggest brewery in Japan, and she'd threatened to pull all their advertising from the Picayune. The other was the daughter of the Japanese finance minister, and she threatened to have her father audit the tax records of the Lis. Syaoran was forced to get Mei Ling's and Tomoyo's help to smooth things over, and had to dodge suggestive invitations from both women who decided he was hot. The incident had landed in the tabloids and earned Eriol a serious tongue-lashing from Yelan.

Plus Syaoran had had to have his cell number changed after both women started pursuing him; he remembered not being able to eat out for several months afterwards because he was terrified one of the two would turn up and pressure him into dating her. _**Hm, haven't paid Eriol back for that yet. Must remember to do that.**_

Eriol turned his back on Syaoran. A long pause, then, "The reason why you can't go for Sakura? It's kind of like mine. You probably think you don't deserve someone like her. I date many women to substitute for the one I can't have, like the way you did with the woman you took to Hong Kong and rebounded with," Eriol said, then immediately regretted it. _**Don't say that, not to Syaoran!**_ his mind screamed at him. _**Syaoran will figure it out! He's too smart!**_

Syaoran's jaw fell open. It wasn't like Eriol to say something like that.

"And who do you think you don't deserve?" Syaoran asked, the hostility gone from his tone.

"None of your business." It was Eriol's turn to snarl.

"Ah, so you can ask me to spill about Sakura, but if I ask you the same thing, you have the right to remain silent?" Syaoran took another bite of the chicken sandwich he had almost forgotten when he'd flown across the room to grab Eriol. Boy, it tasted good. Come to think of it, who had put the sandwich in his refrigerator?

"Can I have some?" Eriol indicated the sandwich.

"Hell no. Go get your own," and Syaoran took another bite, chewing it slowly and deliberately in front of Eriol, grinning wolfishly when he swallowed.

Eriol collapsed into a plush seat in front of Syaoran's desk. "Whatever."

"Someone you think you don't deserve…" Syaoran said softly. He quickly began a catalog in his mind of the women who were close to Eriol…the ones he had asked out, the ones he hadn't…he pretty much made a pass at anyone female who was pretty…except Mei Ling, but she was his cousin, duh…and Tomoyo, Eriol seemed immune to Tomoyo's beauty…but she was his type, with a beautiful face, a generous body and bosom…except she was intelligent and sweet…but hadn't Eriol once said he preferred to date and dump dumb women because they wouldn't be hurt easily?

_**It's Tomoyo!**_ Syaoran realized with a start. Eriol had never asked her out, and rarely made a dirty comment in her presence. He had never gone against any of Tomoyo's recommendations and ideas; he'd even backed her up in that insane Channel 88 takeover idea. He always took her calls, was always casual around her…too casual.

When Syaoran looked over at Eriol, Eriol's heart sank. _**He knows.**_ "Goddamn you, Syaoran. You're too smart for your own good." But there was no heat in his tone; deep inside, Eriol was relieved to finally have someone to tell about the woman who tormented him every day without knowing.

"Yeah, and you better hope I don't open my mouth. Not that you don't deserve it, not after what _**you**_ put _**me**_ through," Syaoran said.

"I wasn't alone," Eriol protested weakly.

"Don't pin this on Mei Ling or Tomoyo. I know the stink of three people conspiring," Syaoran allowed himself a small grin, and Eriol, after a few seconds, responded with a tiny smile. "Now. What's up with you and Tomoyo?"

"Absolutely nothing." Eriol sighed, stood up, and looked out of Syaoran's office's bay windows. Outside, Tokyo Tower loomed over the rest of the city, which was slowly being covered with snow. _**Snow as pale as Tomoyo's skin.**_ As he watched his cousin struggle with himself, Syaoran couldn't find it in himself to needle Eriol further, and so he sat down and waited patiently for Eriol to start talking.

Eriol fiddled with his glasses, then, "Ever since you brought her into this office, I've been interested. But she's special; it's how she looks at you, the things she says and does…you don't jerk around someone like her because she's the kind you worship, the kind you marry."

_**He is an idiot,**_ Syaoran thought. _**He's putting the weight of his expectations on her. **_

"I treat her like a friend, like she doesn't mean anything to me. I'm nothing but a friend to her; you can see it in those gorgeous violet eyes." Eriol sighed then continued. "She knows about what I do—God, who doesn't know how I date—and she…I don't know. She can never see me as someone for her because I'm a jerk with other people. But I keep doing what I do because every time there's a new girl I can forget about her for a while, just for a while. But after a while even the new girl starts to remind me of her, so I break it off."

"Ah, so you use those women to forget about her?" Syaoran asked, incredulous. "Talk about accumulating major bad karma, man." He couldn't imagine being that way, and he suspected this was self-destructive behavior on Eriol's part. Eriol nodded sadly. "Plus…two years and you haven't made a move?" Syaoran said, his voice rising a bit. "Then you accuse ME of being indecisive when it comes to Sakura? And…why can't you say her name? Tomoyo. Tomoyo. Tomoyo!"

"I can't," Eriol said simply. "You don't want to be like me." Eriol put his glasses back on. "I can't stay away from her but I can't be with her."

"Ever tried just asking, for crying out loud?" Syaoran asked.

"Come on. You know what she thinks of me."

"I don't. And from the looks of it, neither do you," Syaoran retorted. "You over-idealize her; that's part of the problem. You should get to know her first—_**really**_ know her, not just project your fantasies on her. If you put her on too high a pedestal, you just open the door for you to be hurt, and you will hurt her too in the process. For once, think about someone other than yourself, for God's sake!"

"I don't know," Eriol started.

"You have no right to tell me what to do about Sakura until you do _**something**_ about Tomoyo. You won't know unless you at least _**ask**_."

Eriol sighed. "And what do I do if she can't see past the whole playboy crap?"

"Take a chance, Eriol. And if she can't see past it, it's your own fault for not showing her who you really are. How else can she judge you but from what you've shown her? If you really care about her, then show her, and drop the crap. At the very least, QUIT dating others!"

"I don't know…"

"Obviously." Syaoran snorted. "Make you a deal," he grinned, struck by inspiration. "I'll find Sakura tonight, and take a chance on telling her what I feel. But I only move after you move. Ask Tomoyo to dance, and ask her out."

Eriol sat looking thoughtful. If Yelan saw Syaoran approach Sakura of his own accord, then it would be points in Eriol's favor with Yelan. But if Tomoyo told him off, what then?

No better time than the present to find out, then. But before that, one last shot at Syaoran…

"Who'd've thought you would be giving ME relationship advice? I mean, your last girlfriend was in college…" Eriol smirked.

Syaoran decided to let it pass, and turned back to his sandwich.

"Are you going to let me starve here?" Eriol said plaintively.

"That would be lovely; you heartbroken and starving." It was Syaoran's turn to smirk.

Both Syaoran and Eriol jumped when a knock sounded on the door. It was Tomoyo, and she smelled wonderful. Obviously, she'd been to the spa, as her hair and skin glowed.

Syaoran's eyes slid to Eriol, who was transfixed. _**Boy, has this guy got it bad.**_ But Eriol quickly regained his composure, looking for all the world like Tomoyo was just another person.

She was carrying a large white package, and she smiled at Eriol then said, "Hey Eriol. I need to talk to Syaoran for a while. Hope you don't mind." She gave him a conspiratorial wink, which he failed to return, as he was deep in his own thoughts. Eriol nodded, then left Syaoran's office quietly.

"Bit down, isn't he?" Tomoyo asked. Syaoran merely grunted.

"What is it, Tomoyo?"

"I wanted you to see this." And Tomoyo held up a printout of the photo of Sakura in her costume. Syaoran failed to prevent an admiring gasp from escaping him. She looked like a princess.

Tomoyo smirked then closed the door to Syaoran's office. "Syaoran. I know you're dating her."

Syaoran groaned. He should've known that if any of the Terrible Trio were to figure it out, it would be Tomoyo. He borrowed a line from Eriol, and said, "You're too damned smart for your own good, Tomoyo." But he was grinning.

Tomoyo watched Syaoran's face curiously. He never broke into those expressions unless he knew something. But her task at hand…she decided to press him for an explanation later.

"I know you don't have a costume for later," she began, and Syaoran groaned again.

"Tomoyo, not a costume! I can't wear some fluffy white costume…"

"I don't want Sakura to be looking like a fairy princess while dancing with some commoner in a dorky suit his Victorian grandmother wouldn't pick out for him," Tomoyo said fiercely, and knew she had hit home when Syaoran shuffled uncomfortably. "And this costume isn't stupid. I based it on what Chinese princes wear when they get married."

_**So predictable, **_she thought with a small smile, as Syaoran's eyes widened.

"I know you love her. And based on what I've learned, you love her enough to want to marry her. I saw the necklace you gave her; she said her boyfriend asked that she wear it constantly. By the way, you owe me."

"Whaa?" Syaoran was confused by the sudden change in topic.

"She insists on wearing your necklace, so I had to go to my jeweler and get earrings to match it. Here," and she handed a blue and silver box to Syaoran.

He opened it gingerly to find a pair of butterfly-shaped drop earrings dusted with tiny diamonds. Syaoran had to admit they matched the necklace he'd bought Sakura in Hong Kong.

"I…what?"

"You want Sakura to lack the correct accessories later?" Tomoyo asked, hands on hips.

"Er, no. Of course not."

"Good. Here's the bill," and Tomoyo thrust a credit card charge slip at Syaoran, who yelped.

"WHO PAYS THIS MUCH FOR EARRINGS?" He almost clutched at his heart; not that he couldn't afford it, but he couldn't believe jewelry could cost that much.

"Sakura has to wear them tonight! I'm telling her it came from you, which will be true once you pay me back. I won't even tell her how much it cost! But they're platinum and diamonds, so they aren't cheap."

Syaoran breathed in and out several times, a calming ritual he'd learned from a sensei in college. Then he regained his composure. "She had better look really gorgeous, or this goes back on your tab," he told Tomoyo sternly.

"Excuuuuse me. Are you questioning my fashion sense?"

"Of course not," he said hastily, and ran his fingers through his hair.

"Too bad for you, I've known you for a long time. That you've hidden this from us…Sakura spilled without knowing it. She said," Tomoyo smirked, "something like, 'when he holds me in his arms the world goes away'. Or something like that. She also said you were a great kisser. You should see how she looks when she talks about you."

Syaoran blushed faintly, and Tomoyo pressed her advantage. "You must love her very much because you two haven't been intimate. I know it takes a lot out of you to hold back…hell, you should probably be the King of Restraint by now. Sakura told me and Mei Ling that her boyfriend sleeps with her nearly every night." She grinned as Syaoran started. "Relax, she never identified you."

"How did you find out about us, then?"

"I know because I saw you two making out in the ballroom. But the way she talks about you two…I know she's still a virgin, and it's not like you to hold back."

Syaoran ran his hands through his hair in agitation. _**Dammit, I wish she didn't know the details of my last relationship from my ex!**_

"Have you told her yet?" Tomoyo asked. "About how you feel?"

"That I love her? No, I thought I'd wait for tonight, after the ball."

"And Yelan?" An entire conversation in two words.

"If Sakura accepts me, I'll introduce her to my mother. If not, then I won't say anything. No sense exposing her to my mother unless necessary."

"You want to protect her. Aw, that's so sweet," Tomoyo's eyes were sparkling. He'd been softened up when she introduced the topic of Sakura, and he was ready to accede to her wishes. "Now. Try this on," and she shoved the box into Syaoran's arms.

"I can't wear…"

"Oh, but you can and you will," Tomoyo grinned evilly. "You just admitted you love Sakura, and all I'm asking is that you wear a non-frilly costume to complement, not match, hers. In exchange, I promise not to let anything slip to your mother."

Syaoran sighed. "Has anyone ever told you you're the devil?" he said defeatedly as he headed into his toilet.

When he came out, Tomoyo clapped her hands. The dark green tunic-like top was accented with an embroidered wolf in gold thread, and fitted itself perfectly to Syaoran's toned body. The pants were also a perfect fit, allowing him to move freely. He looked like a young warrior-prince, a fit escort and guardian for a delicate fairy princess.

"See? You don't look stupid at all," Tomoyo said gently. Syaoran turned to the large mirror in his office, looking at himself. She was right; all he needed was a sword in a scabbard, and he would look like one of those Chinese princes from ancient times. As though she had read his mind, Tomoyo had walked over to the wall where Syaoran's bronze-hilted sword with the red tassel was displayed. He removed it from the case, and fastened the belt around his waist.

"Perfect," Tomoyo clapped. "Now I have to go. We're having our makeup done."

"Tomoyo," Syaoran turned to her. "Please don't let them put too much makeup on her. She's already perfect."

"Dammit, do you have to say mushy stuff when I don't have my camera?" Tomoyo complained. Syaoran smiled, and laid a hand gently on her shoulder.

"Tomoyo?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you," and he smiled.

"Just promise me one thing," Tomoyo said.

"What is it?"

_**What do I tell him? Love Sakura forever? Never let her go? Take care of her? He'll do that anyway. Stand up to your mom for her? Looks like he will. Anything I say along those lines will be melodramatic and mushy, so…**_

"Don't spill anything on it," she said impishly, and the two old friends grinned.

0-0-0-

Ball goodness next chap (whee!) Here's a preview:

Mei Ling was delighted at how easily she'd won Fai Flourite over. The sensitive young artist gladly accompanied her to a dark corner of the ballroom, behind the thick velvet draperies. They exchanged numbers and addresses happily, Mei Ling flirting with him aggressively by touching his collarbone, stroking his arm suggestively. He closed his eyes, enjoying her caresses. _**I'm in control,**_ she thought triumphantly, _**just the way I like it.**_

But nothing could have prepared her for what happened next.

"I know you're flirting with me, Mei Ling Li," the handsome blond told her sternly. Then he put his arms on either side of her, pinning her to the wall, leaving her breathless. "But I don't want to be another one of those guys you flirt with then drop after a while."

Mei Ling felt her defenses falling. _**How is this guy reading me so easily? Why can he see right through me?**_

He brought his face closer to hers, so close that their noses touched, and he was speaking against her lips.

"You are going to love me, Mei Ling. You are going to want me the way I have wanted you for all these years, even if you don't remember me. And then," he seized her lips with his, almost biting down in his passion for her, giving her a kiss that made her realize almost fearfully how much he wanted her, "you are going to become my wife."

His brilliant blue eyes stared into her burgundy ones. Mei Ling could feel the heat from him; her mouth was still open, and it felt swollen. Part of her wanted to pull him back onto her lips. But the other part of her began to scream at her: _**don't be like a deer in headlights! Stupid!**_

_**This can't be!**_ Mei Ling tore herself away from him and ran. Why, she did not understand, only that she wasn't in control, and she was scared. She never wanted to be scared again, not after what happened in college. Control a man and he would never reach your emotions far enough to hurt you, ever.

Fai watched her run, his eyes darkening.

"I love you, Mei Ling Li. And I'm not going to let you get away this time," he said softly.

0-0-0

Thank yous! Hugs! Hearts! And as you can see, the next chap is almost ready as well, just editing now : )

**hearts-stars** (Amen to that. I can't remember a night out with my girlfriends in which boys were not the topic!), **Nightmares of Love** (Hey! I find myself laughing at several fics, especially the TRC ones in which Fai torments Kuro-puu! Here's the next one!), **jennycuenca** (The title now applies to all three girls, although Sakura will be captured very soon! Haha), **RileyS** (And throwing popcorn at the TV—yeah, sounds like him all right. No S&S in this chap, just Syaoran and Tomoyo), **Teruna Hime** (Here's their side! Feel sorry for Eriol now? Hee hee), **AngelEmCuti** (sigh, spa days…I wish I could afford them everyday! Yeah, their pasts kinda suck. Hint, one of them tells a story from my sucky romantic past!), **ccsread** (here's the next one, enjoy!), **Akane Naomi** (ooh, Pocky! I wuvwuvwuv Pocky! Enjoy this and the next chap!), **lhaine07** (I'm so happy to hear that. You know, I believe that "therapists" for guys are harder to come by and I wish they would realize that!), **KibumiWong** (Hey, your English is not a problem, m'kay:) Syaoran's back! Mei Ling finds herself on the receiving end next chap!), **Hououza** (They will resolve it soon. No thanks to the latest TRC chap, I think I may have to bleed to finish my other two fics, darn it! X ), **Lolalaie89** (aw, thanks again!), **Pipi-chan** (I am tempted to DARE you to continue that as a fic, mwahaha! And…so many clones, why can't I have one of Syaoran, dammit? XD), **SakuraLover** (Enjoy!), **iNuQTpIe** (wait till Fai gets his hands…or lips…on her!), and **Patches19** (enjoy!).


	8. What We Were Waiting For

**Are You Gonna Let Her Get Away?**

**Chapter 8: What We Were Waiting For**

* * *

**Up A Lonely Pedestal**

Eriol nearly jumped when his phone rang. His composure since leaving Syaoran's office was nonexistent. _**It doesn't make sense,**_ he thought. _**Tomoyo's just a girl! I should be able to treat her like anyone else, right?**_

_**Yeah right, Eriol, **_his mind scolded him. _**In the past, maybe. You even managed to sleep over at her place without incident. But your secret's out now. Vulnerability city!**_

The caller ID told him it was Tomoyo calling, and against his will, he quickly picked up.

"Tomoyo?"

"Hey Eriol! I need you to come over to the Seasons early. I'm in the penthouse, and I've got some papers for you to sign. Is that OK with you?" Her voice, always a delicious contralto, had never caused him to be this nervous before.

"Sure. See you in twenty minutes." He cut off the call before he could stammer. Gone was his self-assured demeanor. Having admitted to Syaoran what he felt, Eriol found he had made himself vulnerable.

He carefully put on his deep purple magician's outfit and cape—which Eriol had deliberately ordered from a costumer instead of asking Tomoyo to make for him—and drove to the Seasons Hotel.

The elevators took forever to arrive; too many people were headed up towards the ballroom, and by the time it got to the lobby, Eriol had sprinted up the stairs to the penthouse. He didn't want to be late, not where Tomoyo was concerned.

By the entrance to the penthouse, Syaoran fidgeted in his outfit as he rang the bell. He'd decided to pick up Sakura, supposedly for convenience's sake, but the truth was that he missed his little blossom terribly.

And when she came out, he lost his breath. Tomoyo had respected his wishes for light makeup on his beloved blossom, and what little she had on accented her best features. Sakura's costume floated about her with each movement, and for once he was glad he'd let Tomoyo talk him into wearing a costume that complemented hers.

Sakura blushed when she saw Syaoran. He looked every bit the handsome prince, tall, regal, and gorgeous. His green tunic brought out the copper and bronze in his eyes and hair; she ran her hands happily through his thick chocolate hair, and he smiled.

And she had missed him the whole day. She gratefully walked into his arms and nestled her head on his chest as he embraced her, and she wrapped her arms around his neck. Oh, he smelled wonderful; she was reminded of crisp cotton with a hint of pine.

"Missed you, Syaoran," she breathed softly. He closed his eyes, breathing in her berry scent, now mixed with some lavender and freesia oil, as he stroked her cheeks. They were soft and smooth, and he ran his finger pads over them, relishing the way her skin felt.

"I missed you too, Sakura," Syaoran smiled at her softly. "I have something to tell you…"

"Oh!" Her eyes lit up. "Thank you so much for the earrings. Tomoyo said you sent them for me."

He laughed. "Nothing's too good for you, remember?" And he bent down, eager to kiss her. She tiptoed up and met him halfway; though they had kissed less than half a day ago, she wanted to remind herself of what his lips tasted like. Sakura's arms wrapped around Syaoran's lean waist; he had her chin in one hand and her nape in the other. As their lips met, she was thankful that sealant had been placed over her lipstick, or Syaoran would have lips the same color as hers. They kissed over and over, lips touching gently, both of them almost forgetting where they were.

Sakura pulled away, her cheeks flushed with color. "You were about to say something earlier, Syaoran?" she asked breathlessly.

Neither of them saw Tomoyo watching them; she'd gone two floors down to get some papers from her assistants for Eriol to sign, gotten impatient waiting for the elevators, and used the stairs. As she stepped out of the stairwell, she'd found Sakura and Syaoran in a loving embrace, and backed into the stairwell, embarrassed that she'd caught them again.

But watching them affected Tomoyo. She touched her lips as Syaoran slid his tongue into Sakura's waiting mouth and pinned her against the wall gently, their bodies pressing against each other. What did it feel like? she wondered. Her large library of movies would never provide the answer she needed.

She had lied earlier to Mei Ling and Sakura; she had never been kissed before. Every boy she'd known who had evinced some interest in her had placed her on a pedestal, an impossible pedestal she could only fall from in disgrace. They placed her so high that she was forced to be perfect…which she could never be…and then somehow it would be her fault when nothing happened.

It had simply gotten worse when she became a vice president at the Picayune. She was now labeled "a beautiful career woman"…which to most men meant, "not interested". Ridiculous! Who said she couldn't have love with a career? But that was how she was featured in the press, and she couldn't remember the last time she'd been on a date. No one dared ask her out.

A tear ran down Tomoyo's cheek, but she was unable to tear her eyes from the lovers. _**Will I ever be loved that way? I'm twenty five and I've never been kissed. I'm not ugly, I'm not stupid, I'm not a bimbo, so why isn't anyone interested? Is something wrong with me? There has to be something wrong with me if even Eriol, who chases anything with a skirt, hasn't made a pass at me!**_

Outside, Syaoran's lips met Sakura's again for a long, passionate kiss. When he finally pulled away, he looked into her jade-green eyes with his bronze ones, and said, clearly and firmly, "I wanted to tell you that I love you, Sakura Kinomoto."

"Oh!" And she turned red again, giggling as she nuzzled his cheek and tightened her embrace. Perfect. Now she didn't have to be afraid to tell him what she felt for him.

"What do you say to that?" He was waiting expectantly, stroking her cheek gently with his hand.

She decided to tease him. "I'll tell you on the dance floor later," she said, and squeezed his hand with hers. "In the meantime, convince me that you love me."

"Gladly." And with that, Syaoran bent down to kiss her again.

Tomoyo swallowed a sob, and gasped when she felt someone move behind her.

Eriol was shocked to find Tomoyo in the stairwell watching Syaoran and Sakura. She looked like a Greek goddess in her gown. Glitter spread in arcane lines from the corners of her eyes; her long dark hair, through which gold ribbons had been interwoven at intervals, fell in loose waves down her back; and the gold accents on her gown reminded him of how beautiful her body was.

He was about to touch her shoulder when he'd heard Syaoran tell Sakura that he loved her, and was frozen in his tracks. _**How the hell did I miss that?**_ he wondered. He was about to make a sarcastic comment when Tomoyo turned a tear-streaked face to him.

"Eriol?" she said softly, wonderingly.

"Tomoyo," he echoed.

She was beautiful even when she cried, and when Tomoyo bent her head to hide her tears, Eriol opened his arms and enfolded her in them. He had imagined this moment for so long, for so often, but not under these circumstances; when Eriol imagined hugging Tomoyo, she was always smiling, never crying except for tears of joy.

He comforted her as best he could, stroking her hair gently, and holding her close. Sakura and Syaoran had left, and Eriol could feel Tomoyo's knees shaking, so he picked her up gently and carried her into the suite, placing her on the large divan in the sitting room without letting go of his hold on her.

She was so light, so lovely…and when her arms wrapped around his neck, he started.

"Kiss me, Eriol," and she raised her dark, teary violet eyes to his. "You have so much ex…experience…you know how…I…never…no one wants me! You have to want me!" The last was said in a pitiful wail.

It took all he had not to take advantage of her. Instead, he moved her head to the crook of his chin, and held her tighter. He breathed in her tears, the chamomile and jasmine oil on her skin, the sweetness of Tomoyo under all the other scents.

To his surprise, she cried even harder, breaking into wrenching sobs, balling her fists and pounding them on her thighs.

"Tomoyo!" He called her name, alarmed at how she was breaking down. Eriol had never seen her that way, and he was overcome with a surge of anger. What happened? Why was she so upset? Was she secretly in love with Syaoran, or, heaven forbid, Sakura? He couldn't understand what she'd been trying to tell him earlier, but he didn't dare ask her now, not when she was so close to really breaking down.

She ignored him, and in desperation, Eriol did exactly what Tomoyo had asked him to do earlier; he took her chin firmly in his hands, used his thumbs to wipe away her tears, and kissed her firmly but gently. She responded by pressing herself closer to him, but did not make a move to deepen the kiss, to his surprise. He opened his eyes, and saw she had closed hers tight. Curiously, he captured her lower lip between his, and she sighed, and tried clumsily to do the same.

_**It's impossible,**_ Eriol thought, as his years of experience with women was telling him something. _**Could it be? No way!**_

He pulled his lips away gently. Tomoyo's eyes flew open, and while she had stopped crying, she looked bewildered.

"What? I'm not as pretty as the other girls you've kissed? Not good enough for you?" she asked in a brittle voice.

"Tomoyo. Tell me what's wrong," he said firmly but gently.

She sighed, and tried to stand up, but her knees gave way under her, and she collapsed on Eriol's lap. Tomoyo gave up, and instead turned to him.

"Um. Could you get the tissue pack in my room? It's the first on the right," she asked softly.

Eriol grabbed the tissue pack quickly, and a glass of water, then handed them to Tomoyo. She wiped her face and drank in large, greedy gulps. He sat next to her, and pushed some stray strands of hair out of her face.

"Please, Tomoyo. Tell me what's wrong," he repeated.

She looked away from him then said so quietly, he had to strain to hear, "I've never been kissed before."

In response to his look of surprise, she said bitterly, "Go ahead. You can laugh now."

"No. Never gonna laugh at you." Eriol took her hands in his. "Why did you give it to me then?"

"You were there," and she laughed hollowly. "And you're Tokyo's hottest playboy. Figured you would know your way around a loser like me."

Eriol winced. Tomoyo had hit on the one thing he didn't need reminding of. But right now, she needed to be consoled, not to have to worry about his feelings.

"You are not a loser!" Eriol said sternly. She wasn't his perfect goddess after all, then, but her vulnerability, her anger…Eriol felt something in him beginning to hope that perhaps there was a chance with her. He tilted her chin towards his to make sure she was looking into his eyes.

"Do you know how beautiful you are? You make men—even those like me—feel inadequate, because you're so perfect. You don't look like you need anyone."

"But I do!" The words were torn out of her. "Do you know what it's like to never have had anyone special to come home to, to laugh with, to show your designs to and have him say something like, 'Tomoyo, I love you but I'm not wearing that!' To watch Sakura and Syaoran fall in love, the kind of love you wish someone had for you? If I were really perfect, then why am I alone?" Her voice had gone high in agitation, and tears were threatening to fall from the corners of her eyes again.

Eriol grabbed her, and held her tight. _**So that's what it was for her?**_ But she had seemed so happy with her designs and her cameras…she had seemed as though she needed no one…

_**Moron. You couldn't even see past her mask, **_Eriol thought. And was instantly shamed of how self-indulgent he'd been when it had come to Tomoyo, wallowing in his perception that he was undeserving of her when she had needed someone.

_**Syaoran was right,**_ he admitted reluctantly.

When Tomoyo stopped shaking, he raised her chin again to have a look at her. Though she still looked lovely, anyone could tell she'd been crying. What to do? After a while, he smiled, went to the bathroom to grab something then pulled her to her feet.

"We have to go to the ball," she protested.

"Screw the ball," Eriol said. "We're leaving."

"Eriol!" Her eyes flew wide open in surprise. "Yelan will murder us!"

Eriol was grinning. "We're not going far," he said. "Come on," and he tugged on her hand, leading her back to the stairwell.

"What…" Tomoyo was unable to complete her question as Eriol whisked her to the rooftop of the Seasons Hotel. He spread out the towels he'd taken from the bathroom, and gestured at her to lie down. As she did, he lay down next to her and took her hand in his.

"What are we doing here?" Tomoyo felt slightly foolish, but also a bit thrilled. No one had ever done this with her before.

"Look," and Eriol pointed, with the hand that was holding hers, upwards. He felt proud when Tomoyo gasped. Up above were the stars. It was a romantic cliché, sure, but one he had never done with anyone before. He was beginning to understand that girls liked romantic clichés for good reason.

_**She deserves a real courtship, **_he thought. _**I have to know what girls want, really want, from guys, and I'm going to give it all to her.**_ Eriol smiled, and as Tomoyo sighed, he turned to watch her. She was smiling, and when she turned to him, his midnight-blue eyes smiled back.

"They're lovely, aren't they? The stars?"

"Yeah," she nodded. "I can't believe I never noticed them before."

"Neither did I," he said truthfully.

"Why are you so nice to me?"

And Eriol made a decision to say something he had never told anyone ever before.

"Because you're you. And I want you to be happy."

Tomoyo squeezed his hand happily. He pointed upwards again.

"Sometimes stars streak through the sky," Eriol said. "If you see that, you are granted one wish."

"You mean, like that?" And on cue, a single bolt of light flashed across the heavens. Eriol smiled; it was mystical, it was romantic, and had it been some other woman, it would have been absolutely corny. But this was Tomoyo, and he felt as though the hand of destiny had touched him.

Eriol knew he'd already gotten his wish, and he smiled up at the dark blue sky in gratitude as he felt the warmth of Tomoyo's hand in his.

* * *

**Don't Run, Mei Ling Li!**

In the ballroom, Mei Ling was impatiently manning the reception line for VIPs with Yelan Li, who was graciously receiving ambassadors, government officials, and later, the Prime Minister himself. Both women were annoyed that Eriol, Tomoyo, and Syaoran were all missing, but they hid their irritation under gracious smiles.

Mei Ling was distracted when her intended target for the evening, the watercolorist Fai Flourite, arrived. She excused herself from Yelan's side, and walked over to the tall, handsome, slender blond artist, making sure her strides were graceful while revealing enough thigh to attract attention.

He seemed to be waiting for her; he made eye contact just as she began to walk towards him. His smile was at once both affable and mysteriously seductive. _**Can it be this easy?**_ she wondered.

Of course it was; few men could resist her anyway.

"Welcome to the Picayune Christmas Ball," she said. "I am…"

"Mei Ling Li, and I'm Fai Flourite," he finished for her. He took her right hand in his, and raised it to his lips, brushing it gently. "The pleasure is all mine." He was wearing a body-hugging white tunic and pants, with dark blue accents; he looked for all the world like a young wizard

She laughed in pleasure. "And how is it that you know me?"

"Now that would be telling," and he laughed easily.

His brilliant blue eyes were fixed on her, and though he had a smile almost permanently on his face, Mei Ling was vaguely unsettled. She couldn't explain why, though.

"May I have the honor of dancing with you tonight?" Fai asked cheerfully.

"You may," and Mei Ling smiled back. Just as the fanfare for the short program began, he caught her hand in his, and squeezed it gently. _**He likes me, that's why he's staring at me,**_ Mei Ling thought. _**Time for me to take control again.**_

Mei Ling flirting with Fai aggressively as they listened to the speeches. She touched his collarbone while pretending to fix his collar, and stroked his arm suggestively. He closed his eyes, enjoying her caresses. _**I'm in control,**_ she thought triumphantly, _**just the way I like it.**_

And when the first waltz played on the sound system, she was not surprised when Fai took her by the hand and escorted her to the dance floor. Fai kept his gaze firmly on hers, and she only noticed that Sakura and Syaoran were also on the dance floor when they danced close by.

Sakura was having the time of her life, happily waltzing with Syaoran across the dance floor. His bronze eyes stood out behind his jade green mask, and they were fixed on hers all the time. Syaoran smiled gently at her, and as he twirled her around the dance floor, they never noticed Yelan Li's eyes on them.

Yelan concealed her delight when she saw Syaoran with Sakura; her son's messy brown hair was easy to spot in a crowd because he towered over most people. He was willingly dancing with Sakura, and Yelan almost didn't recognize him because he was smiling. At one point, he bent down to listen to what Sakura was saying then threw his head back and laughed. In public.

Syaoran motioned an assistant over and handed a small disk to him. The assistant seemed surprised, but obeyed Syaoran anyway, heading over to the sound booth.

"What was that about?" Sakura asked curiously.

"You'll see," and he grinned.

The next waltz was the one he had taught her to dance to, a piece called "Potter Waltz". She laughed, and happily launched into the routine he'd taught her. They were oblivious to the crowd's eyes on them; they made a magnificent couple in their costumes, after all.

When "Potter Waltz" finished, he pulled her close, and said into her ear, "You said you would tell me your answer on the dance floor. I imagine I was quite convincing earlier, Sakura," and he grinned.

"Oh, Syaoran," and she twirled away, When she twirled back, she came close to whisper in his ear. "Don't you know what I'm going to say?" she flirted.

"No, I don't" he whispered back. "Tell me."

"Silly." And she laughed again. "I love you, Syaoran."

As the music to the next dance started, he laughed, picked her up, and lifted her off her feet. She was laughing back happily, and suddenly, Syaoran pulled Sakura close, and kissed her tenderly.

Yelan gasped. In the middle of the dance floor, Syaoran had kissed Sakura. In front of over a thousand other guests, he had made it very clear how he felt about her. She almost cheered before she remembered where she was. _**Ah, my grandchildren are coming! **_She immediately reinforced her stern face, not wanting anyone to have seen her momentary weakness, because she needed to see just how much Syaoran loved this woman. Impulses and passions of the moment do not make good foundations for marriage, she reminded herself.

Beside Syaoran and Sakura, Mei Ling cheered, and Syaoran pulled away from Sakura. When he realized his mother was staring, he blushed, but pulled Sakura close.

"Come, little blossom. There's someone I want you to meet." And with Sakura's hand in his, he made his way to where his mother sat, expressionless.

"I presume you played a role in their love story," Fai said softly, his lips very close to her ear. Mei Ling turned. "You have no idea," she giggled.

Mei Ling was delighted at how Syaoran had gone public with Sakura. Although she didn't understand how it had happened (what about the grey-haired guy? What about Syaoran's society girl? What did I miss?), she was nonetheless pleased with the outcome.

And with her own success. Fai had danced every dance with her, and they moved perfectly together. When she suggested it, the sensitive young artist gladly accompanied her to a dark corner of the ballroom, behind the thick velvet draperies. They exchanged numbers and addresses happily, Mei Ling purring at him to be sure to call her.

"You're the handsomest guy here," she said, batting her lashes at him in the way she knew would reduce most men to putty. Instead, Fai stiffened.

Nothing could have prepared her for what happened next.

"I know you're flirting with me, Mei Ling Li," the handsome blond told her sternly. Then he put his arms on either side of her, pinning her to the wall, leaving her breathless. "But I don't want to be another one of those guys you flirt with then drop after a while."

Mei Ling felt her defenses falling. _**How is this guy reading me so easily? Why can he see right through me?**_

He brought his face closer to hers, so close that their noses touched, and he was speaking against her lips.

"You are going to love me, Mei Ling. You are going to want me the way I have wanted you for all these years, even if you don't remember me. And then," he seized her lips with his, almost biting down in his passion for her, giving her a kiss that made her realize almost fearfully how much he wanted her, "you are going to become my wife."

His brilliant blue eyes stared into her burgundy ones. Mei Ling could feel the heat from him; her mouth was still open, and it felt swollen. Part of her wanted to pull him back onto her lips. But the other part of her began to scream at her: _**don't be like a deer in headlights! Stupid!**_

_**This can't be!**_ Mei Ling tore herself away from him and ran. Why, she did not understand, only that she wasn't in control, and she was scared. She never wanted to be scared again, not after what happened in college. Control a man and he would never reach your emotions far enough to hurt you, ever.

Fai watched her run, his eyes darkening.

"I love you, Mei Ling Li. And I'm not going to let you get away this time," he said softly.

* * *

**Chapter 9 preview:**

_When the door closed behind Syaoran, Sakura turned to the older woman nervously. Yelan Li was tall like her son, with a haughty and regal demeanor, like a queen. Sakura cleared her throat, then plunged into the speech she had hastily composed._

_"Madam Li, please forgive my speaking openly, but I love your son. I know you might want someone else, someone better, for him. But I would like for us to at least have a cordial relationship for Syaoran's sake. Please, Madam Li, I will do anything to spare Syaoran from having to choose between me and your family. I am very sorry about this."_

_Sakura shrank into herself as Yelan's eyes passed over her assessingly._

* * *

This story will end soon, but don't worry; the sequel featuring Eriol, Tomoyo, and Mei Ling will be up immediately.

A shout out to any artists reading this: I will gladly write a fanfic to your specifications if you can do art of S&S and the Terrible Trio in their ball outfits. Tracing not a problem :D Mail me if interested! Please?

**Hearty thanks to:** _**animelover0328** (hope you got the PM!), **lhaine07** (You know they WILL have a happy ending, otherwise I'm going to get flamed! Besides, I love those two too much, haha), **midnightblue123**,**winterkaguya** (This story leads into E&T and M&F's story :D), **Esa MaRie**, **ccsread** (aw, thanks!), **ccssy -little wolf-** (I've always loved her, and I think she's the perfect best friend for Sakura-hearts!),**principita17** (Thanks for checking it out, and I hope you continue to enjoy! Intersections has fewer spoilers but I understand, no problem if you want to avoid the heartbreakers in TRC right now :D), **Pipi-Chan** (gosh, thanks so much for the links! Re Kurogane as priest...I can just imagine: Kuro- Are you gonna marry this girl or what, stupid guy? No divorce! Stop acting sappy!" LOL. But I'm only borrowing Fai's character- devious, plots-and-plans-intensive, cheerful on the surface tormented on the inside...), **SakuraLover** (Welcome back! Re Syaoran's ex: Yes, but only for a very brief part which will wind up as fluff. Re Mei Ling- Fai loved her, she never knew. You know those high school crush things? He's from back then),**Laendra**,**Houoza** (Like mother, like son, although Eriol's resolution will come after Syaoran's :D), **ffgirl-07**,**Akane Naomi** (No one can win against Eriol in a staring contest! Mwaha! Kidding aside, thanks so much for the "food". I can handle most things with chopsticks but face me with ramen and you get...a mess! Too bad Syaoran isn't here to teach me- giggle), **parma-violets** (Ooh, thanks! Re Fai, I will try to keep him as delightful as he normally is, especially since it's a weird pairing, haha), **iNuQTpIe** (Yes, well, I succumbed to the temptation of pairing them! XD)**infiniteternity** (putting on outdoor gear too...sigh, I wish they made guys like Syaoran, ne? I love what you said about Sakura, can I borrow it and use it as a line for Syaoran? Re Fai, he comes from Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicles, and I adore him!), **Ngoc1231** (I fully intend to finish all my fics because it drives me nuts to read a lovely story and then see that it's not continued...wah! Yes, I put in the Trio for comic relief, and they took on a life of their own XD), **AngelEmCuti** (God, I would gladly trade a fanfic written to the artist's specifications in exchange for art!), **Nightmares of Love** (Ooh, fight scene! I was about to, honestly, but I remembered that Syaoran isn't the type, not unless someone is physically threatening Sakura. And the "not gonna be pretty in the morning"- LOL! I can imagine Eriol saying that right before he gets one to the kisser!),**hearts-stars** (Will Eriol get his happy ending?), **Teruna Hime** (welcome back, wait till Sakura has to face Yelan!), and **harmony**_ (Thanks and I hope you keep reading!)


	9. Stormy Weather

**Are You Gonna Let Her Get Away?**

**Chapter 9: Stormy Weather**

_Acknowledgements are due to infiniteternity and Nightmares of Love for two lines borrowed for this story :)_

* * *

**Double Trouble: Don't Run Again, Mei Ling Li!**

There is a term Army men use when things go completely wrong: FUBAR. It means, "fucked up beyond recall". Mei Ling Li didn't know that word, but before the Picayune ball was over, she would wish she did.

Mei Ling made her way through the crowd, pushing people in her eagerness to get away from Fai. _**Who is he? Why did he say those things? How does he know me?**_

If she had cared to think things over, she would have realized that she was afraid of losing control, of not calling the shots and dictating the pace of the relationship.

She had never been a good loser, though. Mei Ling looked over her shoulder. Fai was standing where she'd left him, and he was calmly watching her, not making a move to follow. He smiled when he saw her gaze on him, and Mei Ling was seized with the urge to go back to him.

And she did.

Fai smiled as Mei Ling came back. It was a calm, peaceful smile, without gloating or satisfaction; he looked as though Mei Ling had done him a favor by coming back, and he bowed to her.

"Thank you for coming back," and he took her hand in his. His hands were so warm, so firm, she thought.

"You have to tell me who you are," she demanded, hands on her hips.

Fai smiled again, realizing Mei Ling was using her temper as a shield from him.

"Please, Mei Ling, don't you remember a boy named Yuui whom you turned down in high school?"

Mei Ling had to rack her brains for this, and failed to find an answer. Fai sighed.

"I really failed to make an impression, huh?"

"Well, you sure made one now," Mei Ling retorted.

Instead of responding, Fai gently reached out and stroked her hair. He closed his eyes then raised one raven lock to his lips, and Mei Ling nearly laughed. "God, you are so corny! I've seen that in animes since I was ten!"

"But you like it, yes?" Mei Ling raised her glaring eyes to him, and found Fai looking quietly at her.

"I'm sorry if I scared you back there. You scare nice, though," he grinned, and Mei Ling found herself wanting to kiss that grin off his face. _**I'll give you the kiss that will make you want more and leave you here waiting for me to return…**_

Fai leaned in to whisper in her ear. "But Mei Ling," he said softly, "if you kiss me now, everyone will see."

Her eyes opened wide, and she took a step backwards. _**How can he read me so easily? **_In response to her expression, Fai laughed. "It's not dark magic, Mei Ling. It's your lovely expressions that tell me what I need to know. Right now you can't decide whether to slap me or to kiss me, although since the former looks like it would hurt, I'd really prefer the latter…after dinner this weekend?"

"You're not going to get away with taunting me that easily," Mei Ling snapped. "I never back down. I'm not afraid of you."

Fai's eyes were gentle. "I don't want you to be."

"Is that so? Then…" and Mei Ling raised her chin haughtily, "you will wait for me. I just have to take care of some business then we will settle this. And I will see you this weekend."

"Have a good time then," Fai smiled pleasantly. "I'll be here."

"Don't you dare move from this spot," she added. She intended to make him wait until the ball was over. _**Let's see how strong his resolve is, **_she smirked.

"I wouldn't dream of it; besides you cornered me near the buffet table so it's a good thing," he responded cheerfully. "Oh, and Mei Ling?"

"Yes, Fai?" She shaped her words around his name sarcastically. He simply moved his eyes up and down, watching her.

"I love your dress." He bowed, and turned to help himself at the buffet table.

Mei Ling snorted and turned to leave. As she walked away, Mei Ling clenched her fists. _**Just you wait, Fai Flourite. No one puts me off balance and gets away with it.**_

And yet she wanted to drag him to a dark corner and kiss that smile off his face, teach him what it meant to mess with Mei Ling Li, find out how he tasted...

_**Get a hold of yourself! **_her mind screamed at her. She refused to turn around to look at Fai again, and then bumped into someone.

"I'm sorry," and gasped as that person reached out to steady her. Something about his hold on her...

"Mei Ling." Eyes as black as night, hair as raven as her own, skin tanned to the color of mocha.

Florian.

"Impossible," she whispered, and tried to wrench her arms from his grasp. He refused to let go.

"I came here for you," he said in the husky voice that had always made her melt. But this time, Mei Ling was angry, and she pulled her arms away from him roughly.

"It's over, Florian, remember? You," and she almost spat the word out, "practically told me to go to hell."

"I'm sorry," he said, capturing her gaze in his. "I made a mistake."

"Damned right you did!" she huffed.

"I need to talk to you," he said urgently.

"Too late," Mei Ling said angrily, and tried to turn her back on Florian, who caught her left hand gently. Mei Ling growled, and tried to pull her hand away.

"Is there a problem?" Mei Ling almost sighed with relief. It was Fai, and he was smiling at Florian.

The two men sized each other up, dark gaze challenging brilliant blue. It was as if they instinctively knew, and sized each other up as rivals. The contrast between them was striking: Florian was almost six feet tall, very well built, dark, with a chiseled chin and cheekbones that made him look arrogantly handsome. Fai, on the other hand, was six feet tall, slender, blond, and rather pale; his brilliant blue eyes and languid lips gave him an open, friendly expression.

"I think you should let the lady go," Fai stepped between Mei Ling and Florian, smiling affably, though Florian tensed.

"I already let her go once," Florian said, and Mei Ling gasped. "Never again."

"I think," Fai repeated, "you should ask her what she wants. It's not like she's a piece of meat to be fought over, _amigo_. Besides," and he lazily indicated the crowd, "it would be bad form to embarrass her here."

Florian glared at Fai. "I love her. Can you say the same thing?"

Fai placed his hands behind his head and grinned. "Actually, yes. And probably longer than you."

Mei Ling stepped between them. "Enough! I have had enough of testosterone...and MEN...for one day! You two...just shut it and leave me alone!"

"But Mei Ling," Florian began, and Fai interrupted.

"Come on, let's go," and he smiled at Florian.

He reeled backwards when Florian threw a punch that caught Fai on the chin. "You bastard!"

"I could say the same about you," came Mei Ling's cold voice. She bent down to check on Fai, who was gingerly rubbing his chin. "Get out," she snarled at Florian.

"Mei Ling, I..."

"Stow it. You've embarrassed me in front of our guests, and you've treated a friend badly."

"He doesn't deserve you!" Florian bent forward to whisper in Mei Ling's ear, but was met with a slap that nearly spun his head around. Mei Ling was breathing hard, the rest of the ballroom had gone silent, and was watching them.

"Get. Out. NOW." Mei Ling snarled.

"I'll be back. I promise," Florian said, and he turned on his heel and left.

Mei Ling pulled Fai up. "Are you all right?"

"Remind me never to get into a fight with you," he said cheerfully. She reached up to touch his chin, and he winced. "Such predictable results when fist meets face. Not going to be pretty in the morning," he grinned.

"Oh for God's sake," Mei Ling rolled her eyes. "Come with me. Let's get you cleaned up; there's blood on your lip." She led him outside, towards the elevators, and pressed "P" for the penthouse suite.

"Why," Fai teased, "are you going to kiss it away and make it all better?"

"Why, do you want me to?" Mei Ling's eyes flashed, and she made to move closer to him. Fai laughed. Mei Ling was a kaleidoscope of emotion, brilliant emotion, and he was loving every flash of her eyes, every word, every gesture. _**She makes me feel alive!**_

"Only if you promise not to hurt me," Fai said, and smiled when she stuck her tongue out at him. He took the opportunity to slide his hand into hers.

Mei Ling guided her into the suite, and was surprised to see Tomoyo's mask still on the bar counter where she'd left it earlier. She decided to ignore it, and dragged Fai into her room, urging him to sit on the messy bed. She pulled out some cotton and poured some antiseptic on it then swiped it over Fai's swollen lip.

He closed his eyes, enjoying the feel of her touch. Mei Ling felt an unexpected tenderness towards him, and she stopped dabbing antiseptic on his bruise. She touched his tousled blond hair; it was so different from hers, even in texture. And his skin was pale, like hers, but in a different way.

"What is it?" Fai opened his sky-blue eyes to find Mei Ling looking at him with a gentle expression. _**She's changed again, **_he thought, and he smiled.

"I swear, you're impossible," she said softly.

"I know. Everyone tells me that."

"And who is everyone?" Mei Ling surprised even herself with her vehemence. _**Am I jealous? God no!**_

Fai closed his eyes and lay back on her bed. "Friends. No one special. It's always been you. I never lied about that."

"Have you lied to me about anything?"

"Yes."

"And what was that?" Her eyes blazed, and Fai laughed.

"Why don't you find out?" he said softly.

Mei Ling plunged down and kissed him; Fai gasped, and returned the kiss. Then she pulled away.

"Tell me!" she commanded.

"I lied about how much I love you."

Mei Ling sniffed. "You sound like a damned stalker!"

"You know I'm not, otherwise you wouldn't have brought me here."

"Whatever." Mei Ling pulled up her knees. "Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why did you wait so long if it was a high school thing?"

"I had to become someone you wanted," Fai said, never opening his eyes. Mei Ling sat quietly, weighing his words, and wondering if she would ever understand him.

For Fai, it was simple. He didn't care whether he understood her or not, so long as she was there. With him.

* * *

**Sweet Interlude**

They had been lying there, staring at the stars, quietly enjoying themselves as the night air cooled. Eriol was grateful that it had not snowed; otherwise, he would not have found a way to console Tomoyo.

Their silence was companionable; it was as if some barrier had been broken between them. Certainly it was unusual; they had known each other too long, had been together too long without any moves made towards a deeper relationship. Now that it was here, neither of them cared to question where they were really going.

But Eriol knew that after tonight, things would change, at least for him. He was beginning to understand why Syaoran had concealed his relationship with Sakura; he certainly didn't want Mei Ling meddling as he courted Tomoyo.

_**Guess I owe Syaoran an apology. It's the least I can do for him listening to me a while ago.**_

He preferred not to think of what this would mean for him and Tomoyo; he'd never been good at long range planning in his life. There was always someone like Syaoran to take care of things like that. Eriol preferred to enjoy the moment, and he was doing so, right now.

But he knew that Tomoyo was not the kind of woman who lived only for the moment. Eriol realized he would have to change if he was serious about her, and wondered if he would be up to the challenge. But this meant so much to him, and he wanted to prove himself to her.

Eriol looked over at Tomoyo. She had her eyes closed, but she was smiling. One hand was over her forehead; the other was in his. With his eyes he traced the outline of her face: forehead, nose, cheeks, chin, neck. And with a start Eriol realized that he wanted to wake up and see her sleeping beside him every morning. I actually want to commit to her, he realized, and his heart leapt at the thought.

_**You don't love me yet, **_he thought, as he moved closer, pulling the hand he held over his chest._**I'm just a little more than a good friend and a lot less than a lover, for now. **_He nudged Tomoyo's cheek with his nose, and she giggled. _**It will take time for someone like you, especially with someone like me. But this time, I can wait.**_

Neither had let go of the other's hand, not until Eriol stretched out one muscled arm, and moved Tomoyo gently to rest on his chest, breathing in her scent, not knowing that Tomoyo was doing the same thing.

Tomoyo wasn't sure if she was doing the right thing. She knew about Eriol's insane record with women; not that he'd told her, but Mei Ling certainly made sure she knew the gory details. But she wanted to feel, to know what it was like to be with someone, and Eriol certainly had the credentials. _**Even if it's just for a while, **_Tomoyo thought. _**Even if it's just another fling to him. At least I can say I've tried being in some kind of a relationship. Besides, Eriol isn't the type to be hurt by something casual; if I use him, he probably won't mind.**_

Then Tomoyo spoke.

"Eriol?" He loved the way his name rolled off her tongue.

"Yeah?"

"Do you dance?"

Eriol winced as he thought of the 'gentlemen's classes' he'd suffered through along with Syaoran. Syaoran had managed to get the hang of ballroom dancing, but Eriol had preferred to stay on the sidelines to mock everyone else.

_**Should've paid attention, **_he thought ruefully.

"No, but I can try if you want me to," he said. "Do you want to go down now?"

"I don't know," Tomoyo said. "Part of me is worried about Yelan, but the other part wants to stay here." She turned her big violet eyes to him. "With you."

"How strange," he smiled. "Me too. Like this."

"Aren't you curious as to how Sakura and Syaoran are getting along? You saw what I saw, after all."

Eriol had to laugh. "She looks gorgeous in your gown. Trust me. And so does Syaoran in your outfit, although him I wouldn't enter in a beauty contest." Tomoyo laughed.

"But I'm more curious as to how we'll get along," Eriol said, shifting so that he and Tomoyo were face to face. "I don't want tonight to be just the night when Eriol was convenient for you. Hell, if you want me to be convenient for you, fine by me. But Tomoyo," and he touched her cheek, "I want to be with you."

"Why didn't you do this long ago, then?" Tomoyo's brow creased. Was he serious?

How should I explain it to her? Eriol wondered. Should I tell her exactly what I told Syaoran? Or should I save it for later, when I've earned her trust?

"How about," and he moved his face closer to hers, "we discuss that over dinner?"

"Depends on who's paying," she grinned.

"I am," he said. "When are you free?"

"How about Friday night?" she said.

Eriol gasped. "You want to spend New Year's Eve with me?"

"Why not?"

"It's a date," Eriol smiled, and, unable to resist, he drew Tomoyo closer and kissed her again, taking his time, relishing the way she tasted. He realized he would have to be very careful, to take his time and to go slow, because he knew Tomoyo had no experience in matters of love, and he refused to treat her like the other women he'd dated and dumped.

Just then his cell phone rang; with a curse, he lifted himself off Tomoyo, said, "Sorry, snow girl," and answered it. "She's with me. We'll be there," was all he said.

When he ended the call, Tomoyo had two questions.

"One: snow girl? And two, what's with the 'she's with me, we'll be there'?"

"Wei says Yelan wants us to take over the reception line in the ballroom. Wonder why."

"Snow girl?"

"Your skin," Eriol said simply, as he lifted a finger to touch her cheek. He stood up, and offered his hand to Tomoyo so that she could stand.

"Eriol?"

"Yeah?"

"I just want to know what it's like to be with somone," Tomoyo said.

"And I just want to know what it's like to be with someone special," Eriol replied lightly. He knew where Tomoyo was going, but he wanted to head her off at the pass. _**I want to commit to you; no more flings or affairs. It's you I've wanted all along, after all.**_

He was hoping he would have a lifetime to show her how he felt.

* * *

**The Yelan Test**

Yelan Li sat at the head of the table in the private room reserved for the Lis, her expressionless mask in place. Syaoran sat nervously next to her, holding Sakura's hand.

"Syaoran. Explain yourself."

In a firm voice, Syaoran said, "This is Sakura Kinomoto, Mother. I am in love with her."

"Was that public display necessary?"

"Probably not," Syaoran said. "But since she just told me she loved me," and Sakura blushed, "in response to my declaration of love, I felt…"

"You felt," Yelan said. "Did you think, my son?"

"If you're wondering if I fell blindly in love, no."

"Then you won't mind if I ask Miss Kinomoto to leave the room for a while."

Sakura stood up, and bowed to Yelan. Syaoran gripped her hand tight, then without looking at his mother, he escorted Sakura to the door and gave her a gentle kiss. "Just wait for me in the next room, all right?"

"You seem determined to show me that you love her," Yelan's voice cut across the room.

"Can't you see who she is, Mother? Can you see how happy she makes me? It's like for me, she is love; she makes me feel loved even when she is not around. She makes me remember that my heart actually beats; she reminds me that there's more to life than work and more work."

"Charming, your attempt at poetry," Yelan said dryly. "Good thing you brought work up; seems you aren't doing much of it lately. How well do you know her? How long have you been together?"

"Just about a month, Mother."

"Aren't you moving too fast?"

"Aren't you the one who told me to find a bride?"

Yelan concealed a smile. He had said it, not her.

"What makes you think she is fit to be your wife?"

"Sakura is a very desirable woman, and I think she will be a perfect mate. By my standards, Mother. Not yours. And I hope I measure up to her idea of a perfect mate as well; it would be a farce if she married me if only my standards mattered."

Yelan simply looked straight into her son's copper eyes, knowing he had more to say. Syaoran drew a deep breath, and continued.

"I know that I owe you respect for being my mother, and for being the head of our clan. But I would like to point out that after all, it is I who will be spending my life with her, if she chooses to have me as her husband. Marriage is a commitment, Mother, and I refuse to make a serious commitment to someone I don't love. I know this seems so fast, but I haven't known anyone like her. I never want to let her get away from me. Mind, though, that I will never rush her into anything she is not ready for."

"She is not Chinese," Yelan baited. Syaoran was doing well so far, and she was proud of him.

Unexpectedly, Syaoran laughed.

"Yes, she's not, and that's a good thing," Syaoran chuckled. "Because if she agrees to marry me someday, then we'll have fresh blood in this family."

"I'll judge what's best for you," Yelan threw out her second challenge. Syaoran stiffened, then replied, "No, Mother. I decide what's best for me, because in the end, I have to live with my decisions."

_**I've taught him well, **_Yelan thought proudly, while keeping her face expressionless.

"And what if you must choose between Sakura and us? What if I refuse to accept your marriage to her?"

Syaoran smiled. "I won't have to make that choice because we're not yet married. She is my priority now, true, but if she does me the honor of marrying me, then she becomes part of our family. And as you always tell me, Mother, family comes first."

"Call Sakura in," Yelan commanded. Syaoran stood up, but as soon as Sakura came in, he led her to a seat then went back to his own. When Yelan raised an eyebrow, he said, "I can hear whatever you tell her."

"No, you may not," Yelan said. "Out," she said in a tone that brooked no objections.

Syaoran bent down, and, ignoring his mother, he kissed Sakura gently. "It will be all right," he said softly, and squeezed her hand before leaving the room.

When the door closed behind him, Sakura turned to the older woman nervously. She was tall like her son, with a haughty and regal demeanor, like a queen. She cleared her throat then plunged into the speech she had hastily composed.

"Madam Li, please forgive my speaking openly, but I love your son. I know you might want someone else, someone better, but I would like for us to at least have a cordial relationship for Syaoran's sake. Please, Madam Li, I will do anything to spare Syaoran from having to choose between me and your family. I am very sorry about this."

Sakura shrank into herself as Yelan's eyes passed over her assessingly.

"He told me you just told him you love him. And yet he also told me you've known each other for only a short time. How do you account for this?"

"Er…" Sakura stammered nervously. "I don't know why, but I just do. He's the most wonderful person I've ever met, and even if I never knew he was Syaoran Li, it wouldn't matter, because I would still want him to be with me," she said quickly.

"If you were unsuitable to be his wife by our clan standards, would you agree to be his mistress?"

"Mist…mistress?" Sakura felt her eyes filling with tears. "I…if he wanted me to be…but it would hurt…I don't know…" She lifted her eyes to Yelan's. "Does this mean I can't be with him?"

"And if I told you that you couldn't?"

Sakura began to cry in earnest, and Yelan felt a twinge of guilt for testing this girl so harshly. Syaoran had held up magnificently, but from the looks of it, Sakura loved Syaoran so dearly, he was all she could see. _**Show me some backbone, child! No marriage to Syaoran can last if you can't stand up to me, let alone to other things that can tear you apart!**_

"Madam Li," Sakura had raised her chin, almost defiantly. "I think the choice should be Syaoran's, be…because h…he may be your clan's heir but he is also still human, and that human part of him is the one I cannot live without. If he does not want me anymore, then I will leave, but if I know that he still loves me, I cannot leave, because there is no one else in the world I could love, I know it. Please forgive me but so long as there is love in him for me I will fight to keep that flame alive."

Yelan smiled, to Sakura's surprise, and handed her a handkerchief. "You truly are a beautiful girl," and Yelan touched Sakura's cheek gently. "I can see why he loves you so. But I will take you up on your offer, child."

"I'll do anything!" Sakura said. "Madam, I mean…"

"Oh, soon it should be 'Mother', and that will be very soon, I hope," Yelan favored Sakura with a gracious smile. "You see, earlier, I was testing how much he loves you. And from how he answered, you should know, my dear," and she held Sakura's hand in her own, "he has never loved anyone the way he loves you."

"Hoee?" Sakura clapped a hand over her mouth when she realized what she'd said.

Yelan lost the struggle to keep her composure, and laughed quietly.

"What I ask is that you will come to the Li Manor for a formal dinner on New Year's Day. I want you to meet the rest of the Clan. And, if I may, in return, be as forward," and she leaned over and whispered into Sakura's ear.

Sakura blushed violently. "I don't think he will ask me that yet, Madam Li."

"My dear girl, just do think about it, will you? Time waits for no one."

"I…I will."

"Remember that it is not the journey but the destination. You will have the rest of your lives, if you choose. Just...don't tell him what I told you. Promise me that. You can tell him about what I asked you earlier, but not my advice. All right?"

Sakura blushed, and nodded.

"Never hesitate to talk to me if you have any doubts. I'll see you on New Year's Day then, child." Yelan watched as Sakura left the room, and smiled. _**It is rare to find someone so beautiful both inside and out. **_She came out, and was not surprised to find Sakura being embraced tightly by a relieved Syaoran. No doubt about it; the way Syaoran held Sakura, Yelan wouldn't be surprised if he upped the pace and asked Sakura to marry him soon. Now that would be nice, she reflected.

She was surprised, however, when she saw Eriol and Tomoyo walk into the ballroom holding hands. And when she saw the ruckus on the dance floor and realized that Mei Ling and two devastatingly handsome men were in the middle of it...and Mei Ling slapped one of them, hard...

Yelan rolled her eyes. When it rains, it pours, she thought.

0-0-0

Finishing story with S E&T and Mei Ling/whichofthem comes out in "The Getaway Girls" which will be the sequel XD Am amazed that I didn't get flamed for pairing Mei Ling with Fai (checks to see if I'm on fire...no, good.) Which means you might like the other fic I'm starting soon, but this will involve a sad Mei Ling trying to erase her memories of Syaoran and being comforted by another delicious blond manga/anime boy (evil grin).

Random rant: TRC chapter 179 just blew one of my fics out of the water, dammit. Now I may have to rewrite the whole "Intersections" story. ARGH. (cries)

Hugs and thanks to:

_**Nightmares of Love **__(aha! Struck a nerve, eh:D borrowed your line, as you can see!); __**Lolalaie89**__ (haha, see?); __**Hououza**__ (Torment is the way to go! But as for the ending for S&S, I'm still resolving it; sigh); __**Pipi-chan**__(Did I miss an email from you? You are tempting me to put Kuro-rin in a cameo as a cranky priest, haha!); __**x-Melodyz-x**__(Story will continue with them in focus!); __**parma-violets**__(Because it's so much harder for Eriol to hold himself in, and I'm throwing him a curve ball in the sequel!); __**Akane-Naomi**__(Don't damage Eriol! I need him for the sequel! XD); __**SakuraLover**__ (Mei Ling Fai Florian was planning to put Sakura in a love triangle originally but Mei Ling is much more fun!); __**Ngoc123**__ (I've actually known nice guys like that, but weird thing is, they're all dating mean girls. WHYOWHY? Life is unfair, bleh); __**Esa MaRie **__(Because Syaoran will do anything to piss Mom off! Anyway there's enough problems in E&T and Mei Ling whoever that Sakura and Syaoran can be the happy couple who watches over them XD); __**Teruna Hime **__(By using the Yelan test, haha!); __**infiniternity**__ (used your line! Whee, thanks!); __**tennislover431**__ (watch out for the sequel!); __**munchkins604**__ (Yes, Florian is the guy from college, and he has a rival now!);__**AngelEmCuti**__ (And here's another moment; poor Eriol, is he gonna get his heart broken for once?); __**Sakura to Hoshi **__(Now Fai has a rival, haha!); __**Adelaide MacGregor **__(welcome back! You're teaching? Absolutely cool!); __**lhaine07**__ (aw, cheer up. Things do get better, you know, even if they really stink for a while); __**hearts-stars**__(here it is!);__**principita17**__ (FFN removed your links, so could you e-mail them to me? Thanks, it's on my profile!); __**winterkaguya**__ (boys ARE baka! Haha); __**Riley S **__(Gad, if Syaoran gave classes then dammit I am enrolling then kidnapping him! Kidding aside I wish guys were more like him. Sigh. If guys could just read these things...); __**jeong**__ (more fluff next chap!); __**euphoria.bebe**__ (can't draw worth a damn but if you've ever seen the CLAMP art of TRC in which Syaoran is in a green tunic with a dragon on it--Fai is in blue, Kurogane in red, Sakura is on the moon, literally--that's what I based Syaoran's outfit on (swoon). Imagine a grown up CCS Syaoran in that!); __**iNuQTpIe**__ (here it is!); __**rosedreamer101**__ (Hey, it's not a problem. Welcome back!); __**y-chan**__ (now you know who Fai is, yeah!); __**Blatant Subtleties**__ (Nope, but they get to face off, and thanks for the review, aww); and__**KibumiWong**__ (Still worried? XD)._


	10. Fumbling Towards A Happy Ending

**Are You Gonna Let Her Get Away?**

**Chapter Ten: Fumbling Towards a Happy Ending**

* * *

"Sakura!" Syaoran immediately wrapped his arms around her as soon as she came out of the room where Yelan had spoken to her, and winced when the hilt of his sword banged into his elbow. He kissed her gently, and noticed her eyes were somewhat swollen and red. "What the hell did she say to you?" he asked angrily.

"I'm okay," and Sakura smiled. "Your mom just asked me a few questions, that's all. Nothing to worry about, Syaoran, really. Like you said, everything was all right."

"What did she ask?" Syaoran's eyes narrowed, and he glared at the door.

"She was just checking to see if I was sincere about you," Sakura said. "Oh, and I'm supposed to meet the rest of your clan on New Year's Day.

To her surprise, Syaoran turned pale. "God, no," he moaned. "I didn't want to have to subject you to that horror this soon. Sakura, I am so sorry."

"What horror?" Her bottle-green eyes were wide open. "Do…do you have ghosts where you live?" Sakura looked terrified at the thought, and Syaoran had to laugh. He squeezed her tightly, and said, "No, nothing of the sort, little blossom. Only, I have four sisters…"

"You do? That's so nice!"

"…and they are going to bug us. Big time," he finished in a defeated tone, and he hung his head. "They will pinch your cheeks, and giggle, and make innuendoes, and if we're not careful, they'll start doing wedding planning for us."

"Syaoran," Sakura's tone was firm, and compelled him to look at her. "As long as we're together, we can do or face anything. Don't you believe that?"

Syaoran slowly smiled. _**She is amazing, **_he thought. _**Looks like she stood up to my mother in there. **_He bent down and kissed her lovingly.

"What was that for?" she asked when he pulled away.

"I just love you so much," he said, his voice raw with emotion. "You're amazing."

"Who says you aren't?" Sakura smiled up at him, and returned the kiss happily. Syaoran had only been with her for a month or so, but he had made up for a lifetime of broken hearts, a bruised ego, and false promises in so short a time. She began to wonder—_**how happy will I be if he asks me to marry him? We're not getting any younger, after all. **_And she sighed, getting dreamy-eyed. Syaoran had released her from his embrace to adjust his sword. His brown hair brushed his eyebrows, and his cheeks were somewhat flushed after they kissed. His muscles, while not bulky, were lithe, and rippled with his movements. His fingers...his scent...she watched him, taking joy from the thought that she could be watching him do small things like that forever.

Sakura started. _**Idiot! Don't rush him! **_She was annoyed at having allowed herself to dream too much. _**Every time I expect too much it all goes to hell, **_she thought. _**I don't want Syaoran leaving me because I rushed into things!**_

"You're pouting, Sakura, little blossom," Syaoran's voice drifted into her ears. He was looking at her, his copper eyes concerned.

Sakura reached up to brush some of his bangs away from his eyes. "It's nothing, Syaoran." And she smiled as they held hands, and went back to the ballroom. At the door, Syaoran stopped, and turned to Sakura.

"I have to make sure you're ready to meet my family. I don't want any of them flustering you. Is it okay if I come over between now and New Year to explain them to you?"

Sakura was thrilled, and she smiled impishly. "Does that mean you'll be sleeping over? Because I think it means loooong explanations about, say, your weird uncle who likes to, mmm, juggle sake bottles, or a crazy aunt who argues with stray cats..." Her voice trailed off when Syaoran looked down at the floor.

"I...I don't know if I should sleep over later, Sakura. Is that all right?"

"Is everything okay?"

_**No it is not, **_Syaoran thought. _**If I spend more time alone with you at night, who knows how long I can hold off, given how I feel about you? And I swore to my mother I would never force you into anything you aren't ready for! I don't want it to look like I seduced you to force you into marrying me! **_He looked at her; Sakura's eyes were wide open and trusting, worried for him. He raised his hand to touch her cheek, and she closed her eyes when he touched her. He dropped his hand to his side, and sighed.

_**Sakura...I love you so much I don't know what to do sometimes, and I don't ever want to hurt you.**_

Just then, someone called out, "Syaoran?"

Syaoran and Sakura turned to face one of the most beautiful women Sakura had ever seen. She was only an inch or so shorter than Syaoran, and much taller than Sakura, with long, black curling hair, deep black eyes framed with impossibly long lashes, porcelain skin, and a magnificently proportioned body.

Sakura felt Syaoran tense, and when she reached for his hand, she didn't find him meeting her halfway as he usually did.

"Kendra," Syaoran said, forcing a smile through his gritted teeth.

"It's good to see you again, Syaoran," and the woman smiled. She kissed him, a light smack on his lips, and Sakura went pale. Syaoran stood there, frozen.

"Who's your friend?" she asked curiously.

"This is Sakura Kinomoto," Syaoran said. Kendra smiled at Sakura, but before Syaoran could continue and add the fact that Sakura was his girlfriend, Eriol called out, "Hey Kendra!"

Sakura began to shrink into herself. _**Not only is she more beautiful than I can ever be, she even knows his friends! And the way she touches him...**_Sakura had never regretted her virginity more than she did at that moment.

"Eriol! Tomoyo!" Kendra gasped, and flew at them, enveloping both in a big hug. "I've missed you guys!"

Only Eriol noticed how Tomoyo's smile seemed a bit stilted, and only Tomoyo noticed that Sakura's smile looked like it had been pasted on her face.

"It certainly is a night for meetings and discoveries, isn't it?" Tomoyo said carefully. There was probably a full moon outside, she thought.

Kendra smiled up at Syaoran. "I came to see you," she said softly. "I've missed you, lover." She reached out a hand to stroke Syaoran's cheek, then slid it down to his collarbone; she clearly knew her way around his body.

Sakura stiffened, and Syaoran quickly pulled away from Kendra. "Kendra, Sakura is..."

He was cut off by Eriol, who had decided to jump into the conversation in a feeble attempt to break the tension. "You look lovely, as always, Sakura," Eriol said. "And, Syaoran, you look human. Congratulations," Eriol sniggered when Syaoran frowned, then nearly jumped when Tomoyo elbowed him painfully in the ribs, her death glare telling him to **Shut Up Now**!

"Hey, you guys won't mind if I borrow Syaoran for a while, will you?" And before Syaoran could say anything, Kendra had pulled him into one of the side rooms of the ballroom.

Tomoyo reached out and took Sakura's hand. Sakura was shaking.

"Is she...?"

"His ex," Tomoyo said quietly. "The one who broke his heart five years ago."

"She's beautiful, and she seems nice," Sakura's eyes were downcast.

In the room where Kendra had dragged him, Syaoran paced, careful to keep a distance from Kendra. But she threw herself into his arms, kissing his earlobes—his sensitive spot—and sliding her hand downwards seductively into his groin. He almost groaned before he remembered who he was with.

"No!" He pushed her hand away, and glared at her angrily.

"I felt you," Kendra gloated. "You still respond to me!"

"It's just the body," Syaoran shrugged. "My heart is no longer yours, and never will be again, not after what you did."

Outside, Eriol had made a decision. "Come on," Eriol said. "Syaoran needs a witness, in case something happens." He dragged both women to the door, and shamelessly cracked it open a bit. _**I'll be damned if I let someone from out of nowhere screw this up for Syaoran, **_he thought.

Just then they heard Syaoran raise his voice.

"Sakura is my girlfriend, and I would appreciate it if you remembered that," he said.

Kendra raised her eyebrows. "Syaoran, you know I made you happy in bed," she said, and Syaoran turned away from her, his expression dark and unreadable.

Tomoyo glanced at Eriol, who understood that it might not have been a good idea to have let Sakura hear this. Almost as one, they turned alarmed faces to Sakura, whose face was stony.

Kendra was still haranguing Syaoran. "Don't deny it, Syaoran! We made love almost every day when you weren't busy! Twice, thrice, even! You wanted me, you loved me then! That Sakura...she's a girl, clearly a virgin! You need someone to enjoy yourself with. You're twenty five, and you have your needs. That girl can't possibly give you the satisfaction you need. We're both free..."

"I'm not," Syaoran said fiercely. "And I love Sakura. You can't possibly understand how much I love Sakura."

Sakura gasped, and Tomoyo reached out a hand to comfort her, a hand which Sakura took in a tight, almost painful grip.

"So what? Your _**mother**_," and Kendra's voice was sarcastic, "probably _**loves**_that sweet, innocent, naïve little virgin," she spat the last word out. "Why don't you enjoy yourself with me while you wait for your mother to fix the wedding?"

"Yes, my mother likes her, the way she didn't like you," Syaoran said in a cold, cruel tone none of them had ever heard him use before. "And the difference between you and her is that I highly doubt she will cheat on me. I know I can trust her."

"You pushed me away!" Kendra's voice was getting louder. "You listened to your mother, and kept obeying her! I loved you once, believe it or not, but when you started avoiding me and pushing me away...you pushed me into that guy's arms! Why can't you acknowledge your part in it? Why couldn't you choose me then? Why are you choosing _**that girl **_over me?"

"I'm sorry," Syaoran said. "But that was the past. Don't think though that I am obligated to make up for it today. I owe you nothing. We enjoyed each other's company once, but that's all in the past."

"I'm going to make you want me," Kendra said in a low growl.

"I doubt it," Syaoran said softly. "The only woman I want is Sakura, and, do you know how much I want her? I'm waiting for her to want me."

Kendra burst into a loud raucous laugh. "You'll never last, Syaoran. You'll either have raped her within a few weeks or you'll be begging to make love to me again. Wanna bet?"

"No bet," Syaoran said. "I suggest you leave before I lose all respect for you."

She snorted, and swept towards the door. Eriol managed to pull Tomoyo and Sakura back into a recess before Kendra swept past and saw them.

The three peeked into the room. Syaoran had his fists clenched, and Eriol recognized his breathing; Syaoran was going through a calming ritual.

"Come on, back to where we were. I doubt he wants to know we heard what happened," Eriol said.

Tomoyo was watching Sakura, and was worried that Sakura was about to make a bad decision; she certainly had that determined look on her face.

"Sakura?"

"Hm, Tomoyo?"

"Believe in Syaoran," Tomoyo said simply. Sakura nodded quietly.

When Syaoran came out of the room, he smiled at Sakura, took her hand, and led her out to the dance floor, smiling to put her at ease. But from the look in her eyes, he knew she knew what he was doing, and felt even more guilty when she tiptoed up and kissed him gently. He returned the kiss, tenderly playing with a stray lock of her hair.

When Sakura pulled away, Syaoran saw Eriol, over Sakura's shoulder, enter the ballroom with Tomoyo; his arm was cinched around her waist possessively, and as he bent down to listen to something Tomoyo was saying, there was no mistaking the softness on his face. Syaoran started, then laughed; when Sakura looked up at him inquiringly, he turned her around and gestured to where the two were.

"Hoee!" Sakura's hand flew up to her mouth, and Syaoran was delighted to hear it from her again. He dropped a kiss on her smooth forehead, and said, "Looks like it's the night for lovers, ne?"

"He better not cheat on her," Sakura's voice was unexpectedly fierce. "She's become a good friend."

"You know what?" Syaoran pulled her closer, enjoying how she felt in his arms. "Give Eriol a chance. I think he might surprise us all."

She looked up at him again, then, "I really should wear heels or grow a few more inches. Looking up at you gives me a crick in the neck," she giggled.

"I can always bend down, since I doubt you've got any more growing to do," Syaoran teased her. She pouted, and he smiled, bending down to kiss her when they heard the crowd begin to murmur, and turned their heads towards the commotion.

Syaoran was not surprised to see it involved Mei Ling and two men, one tall, dark, and handsome, and the other tall, blond, and just as good-looking. When Mei Ling yelled at them to leave her alone, the blond quietly acceded to her wishes, and tried to guide the dark guy away. The dark guy suddenly hauled off and punched the blond on the chin. From the sound of it, Syaoran winced; it was a good, solid hit. But the blond seemed unhurt, oddly enough, and simply smiled.

_**Ah, this is where Mei Ling walks out and leaves the guys to sort things out on their own. My cousin always did love overly dramatic scenes,**_he smiled, and he pressed a kiss to the top of Sakura's head, loving her sweet scent, grateful she wasn't the type to stage a scene. She was transfixed by the tableau of Mei Ling and the two men, and never noticed.

But Syaoran was surprised when Mei Ling screamed at the dark guy to get out then turned to the blond to help him up. _**Since when has she given a damn about her suitors?**_ Mei Ling took the blond's hand and they went towards the elevators.

Syaoran motioned to an assistant, and had to repeat the gesture because the assistant was gawping at the scene.

"Who's the blond?" Syaoran asked when the assistant came over.

"Master Syaoran, he's the watercolorist Fai Flourite."

"An artist?" _**Since when has Mei Ling been into the sensitive type? **_She liked her men rough or suave; she'd once told Syaoran those kinds of men "didn't bruise easy when you dumped them."

The artist, who looked oddly familiar to Syaoran, had been looking at Mei Ling in a strangely cheerful yet adoring way, as if they'd known each other for long. That didn't bode well for Syaoran; was Mei Ling going to toy with the young man who clearly cared for her?

"How about the dark guy?"

"Florian Rivera of Rivera Biochem, sir."

"Ah." And was startled when Sakura gasped. Syaoran thanked the assistant, and turned to Sakura.

"She told us she turned Florian Rivera down in college!" Sakura said.

"Did you see the guy with Mei Ling?" Syaoran asked Eriol, who had come up to them with Tomoyo in tow.

"Which one? There were two of them," Eriol shrugged, and Tomoyo giggled. Suddenly it struck Syaoran that Tomoyo had not even flinched when Mei Ling's scene had played out.

"Didn't you tape the scene?" Syaoran asked Tomoyo.

"There will be more, knowing Mei Ling," Tomoyo said cheerfully.

How soon, they would be surprised to find out.

* * *

Syaoran drove Sakura home after the ball, knowing they would have to talk about Kendra. He was sure Tomoyo and Eriol had filled her in as to who Kendra was, and he wanted her to hear it from him. At her porch, she turned to him and said, "You said you wanted to talk to me."

"I did." But he made no move to come inside.

"Come on in, then," and she smiled. Syaoran hesitated, then stepped into the house that was beginning to feel like home for him. She handed him a change of clothes, which he had taken to keeping in her house, and began to take off her makeup. Then, once Sakura had changed into her warm fleecy nightgown, she noticed Syaoran hadn't changed his clothes, although he had unstrapped the sword and laid it on her coffee table.

"You're worried about something, aren't you, Syaoran?" she asked gently.

"Several things, actually. First, my relatives," he began abruptly, "are the kind who will not let up on bugging you about marrying me. I'm sure my mother is, as I speak, having your Chinese horoscope done in order to see if you'll be a perfect mate for me. I'm sorry I had to subject you to all this."

Sakura smiled. "I don't care."

"Are you sure? Now that Mother knows...you should know that she's been pressuring me to get married. Along with the rest of the Clan. Everything has moved so fast for us, and," he gently touched her cheek, "we've moved fast as well. I said I would never force you into anything you didn't want. But there are other things—my duties, my work..."

"I. Don't. Care," she repeated clearly. "I know your position, and when I said I loved you, I meant all of you. Even your family, even your work. I can take anything for you."

Syaoran smiled, and stroked her cheeks. "I don't want to lose you," he said softly. "I don't want to drive you away. I'm just...scared, because my family drives even me away." He knew he was being weak, giving in to his emotions and telling Sakura exactly how he felt, but he didn't care anymore.

"And then there's Kendra. Sakura, she...she was my ex. Five years ago. I drove her away because I was so busy with school and work, into another guy's arms, because I wanted to please my mother. Mother disliked her and didn't make a secret of it."

"I heard," Sakura said softly.

"So you were the ones outside the door," Syaoran said softly.

"I'm sorry!" Sakura's hands flew to her face. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to listen in..."

"No, no..." Syaoran sighed. "It may be a good thing you heard it all from her. I did love her, I won't lie to you. But it's over and done with. I told her how I felt about you."

"I also heard what you said about me," she said shyly.

"You know I meant it," he said gently.

She guided him to the couch and wrapped her arms around him. "Syaoran, do you know that I'm also afraid to lose you?" she asked gently.

He met her eyes with his. Sakura plunged on. "I know we've moved fast; I knew it when I first hugged you in your office. It's because...no one has ever stayed this long with me. And the thought of losing you, when you're the most wonderful thing in my life..."

"Sakura," Syaoran found her lips with his. "You will never lose me. I promise."

"Stay with me tonight, Syaoran."

"I...I can't."

"Why? But you've slept here before."

Syaoran looked into her eyes. "I said I didn't want to rush you into anything. I meant it."

"I trust you!" she said.

"That makes it worse," he sighed. "I don't trust me, that's the problem."

"I...I want to give myself to you..." Sakura blushed violently. "That way I won't just be 'the virgin' Kendra said."

"No, little blossom. You don't have to," Syaoran said gently. "Don't listen to her. I don't care about that."

Hurt and bewildered, Sakura stared at Syaoran, not understanding what he was trying to say. _**He doesn't want me that way? **_Her eyes filled with tears, and Syaoran realized that she had completely misunderstood him.

"Sakura, wait!" She fled past him into her bedroom, slammed the door, and locked it. "Sakura! Please, open up!"

Syaoran could hear her crying, and he knew she was sobbing into her favorite pillow. He knew she would brood over what he'd said, what he'd done, and he didn't want that at all. He tried the lock; it was an old-fashioned doorknob, and he knew he wouldn't be able to pick it, so he decided on a drastic course of action.

He stepped backwards, then kicked the door down.

Sakura looked up as Syaoran brought her bedroom door crashing down. His face was drawn, and he rushed to her side, enveloping her in his arms.

"Sakura, you don't understand." He kissed her urgently, almost desperately. She was still weeping, and Syaoran racked his brains to figure out how to explain what he meant.

He failed.

And so he decided to show her. Syaoran took her lower lip between his, and Sakura sensed the change in him. When his tongue came into her mouth, it wasn't with the usual sweetness; it was urgent, and demanding. He shifted so that he was above her, and his kisses strayed to her neck. She liked it, but when he planted a love bite on her shoulder, she gasped. _**What is he doing? **_And his hands were straying into new places, places that made her moan and feel that something wonderful was about to happen...but what?

She felt something stiff against her thighs, and opened her eyes wide. He was watching her, his eyes dark with passion, and he was breathing hard.

"Do you understand now?" he rasped.

Sakura shook her head. "No, not really...I kind of like it, but I also...I don't know. I'm sorry." She blushed.

"I figured," and he sat up, taking her with him. Syaoran held her tightly, feeling her relax into his embrace. Then he looked into her eyes again."It's not that I don't want you, little blossom; I want it to be only because we both want to. You're not yet ready; when you are, you'll let me know."

"I'm sorry." A tear escaped Sakura's eye.

"Never apologize, ever, little blossom. Not for something I did," he said fiercely. "The reason why I wanted to leave is because I'm afraid that I might not be able to control myself around you. Like I said, I don't want to force you into anything. I know we're old enough, yes, but that's not a reason."

"I wish I were as beautiful as she was," Sakura whispered miserably.

Syaoran couldn't believe his ears. "Sakura, come here." He stood up, and went before her full-length mirror. When Sakura came over, he placed her in front of him, and let her watch him watching her.

Sakura felt a thrill come all over her. Syaoran's eyes caressed her face, her body, all of her almost hungrily. And when he bent down to kiss her neck from behind, he kept his deep bronze eyes wide open, watching her jade-green eyes in the mirror, seeing how she responded to him, and how his eyes changed as he stroked her cheeks, trailed kisses down to her shoulders, and caressed her arms. And Sakura finally began to understand how much he loved her, adored her; she could see it in his eyes.

"Syaoran," she breathed.

"Can you see now?" he said softly. "You are the most beautiful woman in the world. Do you believe me?"

Sakura nodded, and she reached a hand behind her to stroke his chocolate colored hair, then his cheeks. She turned sideways, and ran a finger over his cheeks. He responded by running his lips from her temple to the hollow of her neck, slowly, savoring the way her skin tasted. She closed her eyes, and said, "I wish you could come home to me every day."

"If I have my way, assuming you agree to it, we'll have a lifetime of coming home to each other." Syaoran was smiling softly down at her.

Her green eyes opened wide.

"Do you mean..."

"I do." And he kissed the back of her hand. "But only if you want to," he stressed. "Sakura, when I look into my future, all I want to see is you," he said recklessly. "That's not fair to you, because I..."

He was suddenly cut off when Sakura pounced on him, knocking him to the floor, and kissed him. Her tongue slid into his mouth, and after some shock, he accepted, and began to kiss her back. When she pulled away, she was grinning.

"What?" His eyes were hazed over, Sakura noticed, and she laughed.

"You're silly." And she laughed again. "We're silly. We're adults, you're right. And if your intentions are like that..."

"Sakura, I am ready to ask for your hand anytime," Syaoran declared quietly. "Formally, I might add."

"Your mother will have a heart attack," Sakura teased, and remembered what Yelan had said to her earlier.

_Yelan had leaned forward, and said softly, "When Syaoran makes up his mind about something, he doesn't hesitate. He presses forward, and commits to seeing it through all the way. I know he loves you, child, and he may ask you to marry him soon. Don't be afraid of him."_

And now she knew what he'd been holding back and why. Again she thought back to Tomoyo's words: that Syaoran was good in that department. She blushed, and looked at him, blushing even harder, but giggling. _**Will I enjoy myself if we did...?**_

"Let her have one," Syaoran said. "She's the one who nagged me about getting married."

"I've heard of long engagements," Sakura smiled. "That way we can take our time..."

Syaoran's eyes widened this time. "Do...do you mean that?"

"I never say anything I don't mean," and Sakura pulled him back on top of her. "So. I believe this moment calls for some serious kissing," and she kissed him.

"No," Syaoran said. "I have to ask you properly, and meet your family as well."

"You'd hate my brother, Touya," Sakura chuckled. "I know he'll hate you on sight."

"He can beat me up so long as you say yes," Syaoran said slyly.

Sakura laughed. "Then again you might beat him up; he never got beyond the yellow belt in taekwondo."

"Sakura, I would never hurt anyone you loved. Not intentionally, that is," Syaoran laughed. "Especially if he's going to be my brother-in-law."

She turned serious, and placed her hands on his cheeks. "Are you sure about this, Syaoran?"

"So sure, that..." Syaoran began to fish inside his pockets, then he gasped, stood up, and almost turned his pockets inside out. "Oh my god...it's not here!"

"Hoee?"

"I...Oh no...I am an idiot!" Syaoran slapped his forehead with his palms, and kept searching his pockets. "God, where could that box be?"

"What?" Sakura stood up, and began to search his pockets as well, stopping only when she noticed that Syaoran had turned red all the way to his neck.

"Hoeee...Oh, sorry, Syaoran!" She hastily pulled her hands out of his pockets.

They stood there, both blushing, then Syaoran began to search Sakura's dresser.

"Have you got any yarn?"

"Hoee?" Syaoran had to smile; three "Hoeee"s in less than a minute had to be a record of sorts.

"Any color is fine; I just need some yarn," Syaoran grinned.

Sakura rummaged through her sewing kit and handed him some red yarn and a pair of scissors. He cut a short length, looped it, then dropped to one knee. He looked for all the world like a true prince, bending on one knee...before a pink-nightgowned princess.

"Hoee?"

He took Sakura's hand, and kissed it gently.

"I know we haven't known each other very long, Sakura. But I want to spend the rest of my life getting to know you. Will you marry me, even if all I have is this yarn ring?"

Sakura laughed. "Of course! But on one condition..."

"Name it, Sakura!"

"You fix my bedroom door," she giggled, and Syaoran blushed as he turned to survey the damage he'd done.

"Gladly. I'd say it was necessary damage, though. Otherwise, you'd be sleeping alone tonight," Syaoran grinned. He slid the yarn ring on Sakura's ring finger, then kissed her passionately.

"I wish I could give you something in return," Sakura said when she pulled away.

"You already gave me your heart," Syaoran said happily. "That's a Christmas present to last a lifetime, little blossom."

When they finally fell asleep in each other's arms, Syaoran no longer wore his tunic, though he still had his pants on, and Sakura had a satisfied smile on her face...along with a few love bites on her neck and shoulders that matched Syaoran's.

* * *

Outside the ballroom, an assistant handed a green and silver box to Yelan Li. Yelan opened the box, and gasped; it was the gold and diamond Li Clan engagement ring, handed down from eldest son to eldest son.

"Where did you find this?"

"In the hall, Madam Li."

_**Interesting.**_Only Syaoran had access to the ring, Yelan knew. And for him to have been carrying it tonight...

To the assistant's surprise, Yelan threw her head back and laughed. _**Oh, poor Syaoran! You can't propose without the ring!**_

Little did she know he had already found another way entirely.

* * *

**To be continued in the new story, "The Getaway Girls"**

* * *

_Apologies for the mush. This continues in chapter 1 of "The Getaway Girls" which I hope to have up in a few days. Syaoran and Sakura's story will continue there, but Eriol and Tomoyo, and Mei Ling and (whoever) will take center stage. (Yay!)_

_I update when I can, which may probably be only once a week from now on due to my new job (whee!). Please don't kill me! Just put me on alert. Also, I try to review my work before uploading so that I don't embarrass myself too badly (like I wrote in Chapter 1 of this fic that it was November when I meant October, and the New Year Ball when I meant Christmas Ball—cringe)._

_I place my replies to reviews here because I can't reply to them one by one. I'm sorry if it bugs anyone, but this is, after all, at the end of the story. Sorry if anyone objects to that. _

_So, blatant hugs and love to the following, and to all reviewers, favoriters, and alerters. I love you people! Thank you, thank you! I hope you will join me for the next installment in "The Getaway Girls" up within the week!_

_**SakuraLover**__ (Nope, but someone else WILL remember him, haha); __**winterkaguya**__ (Feel even more sorry for Syaoran now that Yelan has the ring, heh heh); __**Lolalaie89**__**Hououza**__ (Thanks, that means a lot to me :D and thank you for noticing what I did with Fai as a foil for Mei Ling); __**Admiral Godunov**__ (OHMYGOD you read my work, yay! I still prefer your ending/s, and ACoF is a story I think all CCS and TRC fanfic-ers should read. Am going to revise "Intersections" as pure fluff instead, since there is way too much angst in TRC right now. By the way, do I have this right: there are 2 Syaorans, and three (!) Sakuras—the real Princess, the clone Princess, and Real Syaoran's Sakura? 0.o ARGH!);__**Riley S**__ (Haha, "Boyfriending for Dummies!" I promise, Fai isn't a stalker); __**Akane Naomi**__ (OOOH, Mokona plushie! Squeezes life out of it, haha); f__**fgirl-07**__**icyblossom3**__ (Fai comes from TRC, and is from Mei Ling's past XD); __**Pipi-chan**__ (Amen to Yelan fanclub! And the new movie blew me away!);__**DiamondRose3**__ (oh don't worry about it, just enjoy!); __**Sakura to Hoshi**__ (bow- aw, thanks! I figured Mei Ling's temper made her like a female Kurogane, haha!); __**Lily887787**__**iNuQTpIe**__ (Just what I intended! Momiji/Mei Ling to be posted soon as well!);__**lhaine07**__ (You are not baka! Please cheer up!); __**Ngoc1231**__ (Amen to that! Sequel up soon, within the week); __**Nightmares of Love**__ (Yes, I did; I hope it's OK, and thank you so much!); __**Adelaide MacGregor **__(AAAH, so many books, I would love that!); __**euphoria.bebe**__ (sorry I made you search, but doesn't Syaoran look HAWT there?);__**bruhareviewer**__**AngelEmCuti**__(That's because there are NO hot guys where I work, wah! XD); __**infiniteternity**__ (Giggle, thanks! I'm so happy you like it!); __**hearts-stars**__(Date in chapter 1 of "Getaway Girls" sorry for the delay!); __**ccsy -litle wolf- **__(coming right up!); __**harmony**__ (glad you liked it!); __**jeong**__ (but, but, don't you like competition? XD and here's your answer re Syaoran!); __**fma34**__ (Thanks! Please bear with me; I try to put the chapters up as soon as I can:D); __**KibumiWong**__ (You can kill me now with all the mush I poured into the ending of this story!); __**x-Melodyz-x**__ (Ask Syaoran!); __**parma-violets**__(I intend to redo one of my fics, "Intersections", a CCS/TRC crossover, to make it all cuteness, since there is an overload of angst in TRC and I can't bear it anymore! Thanks for the vote of confidence!); __**rosedreamer101**__ (No you wouldn't! XD); and __**jennycuenca**__ (I lurv him, too bad he belongs to Kuro-tango now!)._

_A note to another reviewer: I never have threatened anyone with "No review no update". Please don't pin that on me; it's unfair. And there are men and boys who can wait, believe it or not; they're my friends, and one is my boyfriend. Neither am I afraid of writing about lovemaking, as my other fic shows; I just prefer to have it fit the story. I like replying to reviewers, so please just bear with me. Thanks._


	11. Sequel Preview

**Author's notes: **Hello! This is not strictly Chapter 11, but I was asked to place this here, so here you go. This is Chapter One of the sequel to this story, which is entitled "The Getaway Girls". It's posted on its own. The Terrible Trio's and Sakura and Syaoran's stories continue there. Chapter 2 is already up. Here's the first part, for those who didn't see it:

* * *

**The Getaway Girls**

**Chapter 1**

This continues where "Are You Gonna Let Her Get Away?" leaves off. Happy reading!

**Summary:**Sequel to "Are You Gonna Let Her Get Away?" Can the Terrible Trio, Sakura, and Syaoran find their happy endings despite everything life throws in their way?

**Disclaimer:**Syaoran belongs to me. In another universe where pigs can fly, that is. Actually, he belongs to CLAMP and they really should clone him, Eriol, Fai, and Kurogane and pass them around, sigh.

* * *

**Prologue**

_As our story opens, it is February and there are three beautiful women on a beach. They are on an island which is but one of seven thousand in a tropical country—a logical getaway for people who have to live with snow. Their names are Mei Ling Li, Sakura Kinomoto, and Tomoyo Daidouji._

_One has long, straight, raven hair, blacker than night ever thought of being; her reddish-brown eyes flash with her emotions, and she attracts stares from beachgoers due to her magnificent body being in a skimpy gold string bikini. Quite a few men have already slammed into coconut trees gawking at her. But they do not dare approach, because the last man to hit on her is still groaning in the sand and spitting teeth from his mouth._

_The second woman is, for the first time in her life, a cute pink bikini, nowhere near as revealing as the first woman's. But she is covering it up with a sheath. She has large jade green eyes flecked with gold, honey-gold hair, a sweet expression on her face, rosy cheeks and lips, and a slender, athletic body. She is staring off into the distance, lost in the magnificent sunset that is a kaleidoscope of reds, oranges, pinks, and blues._

_The third woman has porcelain skin, which she is trying to darken with the help of tanner. She designed the bathing suits they are wearing; hers flatters her womanly curves, pleasant and soft without being fat. Her long dark hair curls at the ends, and she has startling violet eyes. If she opened her mouth, a beautiful song would burst from it. She is thinking about the one she loves, and her eyes are soft._

_They are waiting for the men they love; one of them joked that the first man to come and claim his beloved would be the one most worthy of his woman's love. For they are not where they call home; their men will have to cross an ocean to find them._

_One of these women is pregnant; the second was tricked into coming to the island; the third woman came along for fun._

_And by the time this story is over, one woman will be married to the one she truly loves._

* * *

**Before New Year's Day (One month before the prologue)**

A tall, tousle-haired young man named Syaoran Li, an executive vice president for his family's large business group, arrived home a day after Christmas. He was quite unaware of how his chiseled cheekbones, deep-set brown eyes, and leanly muscled body affected the women who had seen him walking home—floating, to be more accurate.

He was smiling softly; his new fiancee, whose heart he'd won after just two months, always left him with a warm feeling inside. Her name was Sakura Kinomoto, and she had wandered into his life like a stray angel from the heavens, and shown him a world in which work was not the only thing that mattered. Without even trying.

Which probably explained why he had been willing to marry her so soon into their relationship. _**Women like her are like falling stars; blink and they're gone,**_ he thought. And so he was happy when she had felt the same way about him, willingly accepting his proposal of marriage and loving him as much as he did her.

He was surprised to see his mother waiting in the entryway for him.

"Syaoran."

"Mother." He looked straight into the black eyes of his tall, regal mother, nominal head of his clan until she retired and he took over.

"Syaoran, you are aware that as the eldest—and only son—of the eldest Li before you, you're supposed to propose using the Li engagement ring?"

Syaoran's heart sank. Now he knew what had happened to the ring. He'd probably lost it during the tussle with his ex, Kendra, during their company's Christmas ball...and somehow, his mother had found it. He'd been planning to propose to Sakura and was carrying it around in hopes of finding the right time.

"Have you also forgotten that should you ever find the occasion to remove that ring from the Clan's vault, you're supposed to inform the Elders, get their approval, and have an engagement party?"

"No, Mother."

Yelan looked at Syaoran appraisingly. "No, you don't want an engagement party or no, you haven't forgotten?"

"Mother. Why not just speak openly?"

"Ah. You said it, then. This was found in the hallway outside the ballroom of the Seasons Hotel." She opened her hand; in it was the green and silver box that contained the ring. "Did you propose yet?"

"I thought you didn't like her?"

"I never said that, son."

And suddenly Syaoran was filled with hope, and affection for his mother. She was still expressionless, but he knew—she liked Sakura.

"Actually, Mother, I proposed anyway."

Yelan Li did something she rarely did; she choked.

"You can't!"

"I did. And," he playfully raised his right hand, the fourth finger of which sported a loop of red yarn.

"Yarn. Whatever for?"

"I had to improvise," Syaoran grinned.

For the second time that day, Yelan did something she rarely did; she walked forward, and embraced her son.

"I'm proud of you, Syaoran."

"For getting engaged?"

"For choosing such a wonderful young woman." Syaoran smiled at his mother, who smiled back, then groaned when she said, "All right then. Have you spoken to her parents yet? Have you decided on when to have our families meet? Goodness, we have so much to do before your engagement party!"

* * *

On New Year's Eve, another tall young man, who had dark blue eyes, a well-built, well-muscled body, and a thoughtful expression behind glasses surveyed himself in the mirror critically; he wanted to look good for his first real date with the woman he had adored for two years now, and was having a look at his outfit for the next day.

He rolled the sleeves of his blue madras shirt up three-fourths of the way; his jeans were nicely distressed, and his hiking shoes were scuffed. Like a regular guy—which was who he wanted to be for Tomoyo Daidouji.

Satisfied, he took the outfit off and put on an old, comfortable shirt and jeans. Despite his casual outfit, he was still devastatingly handsome; his pale skin gave him an otherworldly air, and his deep, husky voice could seduce women even over the phone.

He was Eriol Li-Hiiragizawa, cousin to Syaoran Li and the commercial relations vice president for the Li Group of Companies. Which pretty much meant he was free to go out, attend society functions, and seduce women.

Unlike his cousin Syaoran, Eriol knew he was handsome; he'd been taking advantage of his effect on the opposite sex since college. Though he was twenty-six, he looked younger thanks to regular exercise and a good diet.

The object of his affections, Tomoyo, was the vice president for finance at the same company, and an old friend of his cousin's. She had long, shiny black hair that curled gently at the ends, startling violet eyes, rosy cheeks, and a curvy, womanly body that Eriol had often dreamed about in the years he'd known her.

And now, after years of waiting, he was finally ready to take her out.

Since Christmas, he'd been planning where to take her for New Year's Eve. Eriol guessed that she was tired of pompous, self-important men. As they had talked on the phone every night since Christmas, Eriol had discovered that Tomoyo had never had a real date in high school and college. He'd been astounded, but he'd kept his reaction to himself, and quickly thought of a plan to give her a high school date. He'd rented movies and read books about high school dates, and when he thought he was ready, he called Tomoyo.

"Eriol!" She sounded pleased, and he smiled.

"Good to talk to you too, snow girl." Eriol dropped all terms of endearment—baby, lover, sweetheart, and variations thereof—that he once used on the women he seduced, from his vocabulary when he talked to Tomoyo, and used his own special pet name for her.

"Silly Eriol Blue," she said affectionately, and he was thrilled; she had given him a nickname too! "We talked last night."

"Ah, but that was several hours ago." Tomoyo imagined she could hear him grinning over the line. It was surprising how different Eriol was from what she knew and imagined him to be. He had never hidden his romantic past from her, but neither did he talk about it.

At first Tomoyo had thought of using Eriol, a notorious playboy, to satisfy her cravings for a relationship of any kind, but on Christmas, he'd told her that while he didn't mind being 'convenient' for her, he would prefer to have a chance to really get to know her.

And the more she thought about it, the better the idea seemed to her. Plus—and she blushed—he had the experience she needed for another thing she was curious about.

But he wasn't acting like a playboy at all with her. She sensed he'd dropped his facades, and could be wonderfully sweet and normal with her. He'd never attempted to use his seductive tactics on her...and she found it even more attractive, somehow.

"All right, Eriol. What's our plan for tomorrow?"

"I thought we might have a picnic," he said cheerfully. He'd spent the past few days preparing for it; he'd rented out a lighthouse on a nearby beach, ordered food for the picnic, and had flowers festooned around the lighthouse. He was trying hard for her sake to evoke the romantic clichés he knew women liked.

"Just a picnic?" He could hear the smile in her voice, and his heart swelled a little more.

"In the evening I'm going to surprise you. Then on New Year's Day, I would like to take you to the celebrations of the Lis. Will you come with me?"

"Of course, Eriol! But you're going to owe me, and I want to collect soonest," she giggled.

"Name it, snow girl. Whatever you like, within reason, that is."

"It's a surprise too," and she laughed.

"I love it when you laugh," Erio said softly.

"I love it when you love something about me, Blue," Tomoyo said. There was a companionable silence on the line, then...

"I want you to be kissing me," Tomoyo sighed. "I can't wait for tomorrow."

"Then don't." He laughed his booming laugh, then silence.

"What?" Tomoyo found herself talking to a dead line. She tried calling Eriol again, but she got the message, "The mobile subscriber is unavailable," and was redirected to his voice mail.

Why had he hung up on her? To her shock, Tomoyo felt tears start in her eyes. Oh no, no! She couldn't believe the effect he had on her, and so she wandered to the kitchen to brew some tea and to calm her nerves. She wrapped her dressing gown around her; it was soft cotton, and felt warm over her silk camisole nightie. No one could accuse Tomoyo of not spoiling herself; she liked nothing but the best.

_**Which is probably why I chose Eriol for...**_

Her doorbell rang.

She glanced at her clock. Almost midnight. Who...could it be Eriol? She shook her head to disabuse herself of the silly notion, and peered through the viewfinder.

It_**was**_Eriol!

She opened the door. "Eriol, wha..." Tomoyo never got to finish her sentence, because Eriol seized her chin in his hands, then bent down to give her a passionate kiss that took her breath away. His tongue found the entrance to her lips, and nudged its way in. Tomoyo sighed; it was the kiss she'd been waiting for.

As they finally pulled apart, Tomoyo touched her lips. Eriol was grinning, and he said, "I just came to give you a good night kiss." He turned, as if to leave, when Tomoyo grabbed his hand and pulled him into her condo, slamming the door behind him.

"Who says I want to stop at that?" And Eriol was surprised when she grabbed him in turn, pulling him down to kiss her again. His last thought before becoming thoroughly engrossed in her nearness was, _**Who would've thought Tomoyo was this aggressive? **_And it delighted him to be with her; whatever she commanded, he would gladly obey.

When Eriol finally left, it was morning, and he was wearing a shirt Tomoyo lent him...because they had somehow managed to tear his other shirt apart. His mouth was still full of the taste of Tomoyo...and his memory filled with images he would never share with anyone else...and he raised a hand to touch a tender spot on his neck. He smiled, and whistled a happy tune as he walked towards where he had parked his car.

It was gone, and in its place was a notice from a towing company. "Overnight parking in red lane not allowed," was the violation cited.

Eriol threw his head back, and laughed heartily, startling those passing by. It was going to be a beautiful day.

* * *

Mei Ling Li, another cousin to Syaoran and Eriol, was sitting in a small cafe with a man named Fai Flowright. The contrast between them was startling; Mei Ling was a petite girl with smooth skin, expressive eyes, and a very generously proportioned body. Even when sitting still, she vibrated with energy. Her long raven hair fluttered in a small breeze, and she lifted a hand to tuck it behind her ears. She tapped one foot impatiently, and her companion recognized the signs of her fiery temper threatening to emerge, as their order was late.

Fai watched her cheerfully. He was six feet tall, slender, had artfully mussed blond hair, mild blue eyes and a perpetually cheerful expression on his face; if he was so inclined, he probably would have been a top male model. He was calm and jovial, a perfect foil to Mei Ling.

He had not yet told Mei Ling that he had gone after her in his senior year of high school, and she had gently turned him down because she thought he was in junior high; not only had he been shorter, his voice hadn't broken yet. Fai had reached puberty much later than other boys, and had spent half the school year wishing he didn't look like a twelve-year-old. By the time he'd finally caught his growth spurt, Mei Ling had been dating the most popular boy in school.

Fai had begun to use his second name and his mother's maiden name after college, because he wanted to get away from what he had been. He buried his sorrow in the ethereal watercolor paintings for which he was now known across Asia and in America. Now that he was someone of means, he'd returned to make another try at courting Mei Ling, and he was enjoying her presence despite a tender spot on his chin, courtesy of a punch thrown a few nights ago by another admirer of Mei Ling's.

What those men didn't understand about Mei Ling was that while she was aggressive and haughty and even at times bratty, she was essentially a girl who wanted to be loved. And he fully intended to be the one to give it to her.

Before Mei Ling could pick a fight with a waiter or waitress, Fai reached out for her hand.

"Mei Ling, don't," he said calmly, and then he ran a finger from the back of her hand, up her arm, and up her neck to her cheek. She closed her eyes, savoring the feel of his touch, and Fai smiled, stroking her cheek gently.

He summoned the waitress instead, giving her a megawatt smile, then said, "Pardon me, but we've been waiting for our order. Might I trouble you to check the kitchen for it? We asked for..."

"Two American breakfasts, sir," the girl smiled back. "Sorry for the delay, I'll go check on it."

As the girl left, Mei Ling reluctantly admitted, "Okay, that got results. So I have a nasty temper."

"It's what makes you you," Fai said.

She lazily opened one eye. "Isn't it too early in the morning for insults?"

"Not an insult," he responded. "Just a fact. Without your temper you would be..." and he searched for a word, "...diminished."

"Really?" Despite herself, Mei Ling was interested. Her previous boyfriends had always cited her temper as a problem in their relationships, and here was this guy...this increasingly interesting, delightful man...who was saying it was—a good thing?

"Can I at least ask who the guy was who gave me a shot to the chin?"

"Not now," Mei Ling snapped. Though she instantly regretted being rude to Fai, she would be damned if she let him know. Besides, this would test how serious he was about her; if she managed to push him away, then she'd be proven right.

But how much she wanted to be wrong about him worried even her.

"All right then," Fai smiled as if nothing had happened. He had been worried for a moment there; she had been quiet, too quiet. He decided to bait her anyway. "I suppose he was Mei-Lily's first lover; no one reacts so violently for anyone else."

Mei Ling turned crimson, then said, "You have no right to ask or say that!"

"Perhaps not. But I was right, yes, Mei-pipi?"

"What's with the nicknames?" Her eyebrows went up.

"Don't like them, Mei-ming?" He laughed softly.

"You bastard!"

"No, actually, my parents were married when they had me. They were divorced later, which doesn't change the fact that I'm legitimate."

She looked at him incredulously. "You're impossible!"

He nodded placidly. "That's what my mom used to say too."

Since when has he turned back into the smiling idiot? Mei Ling thought angrily. She couldn't make up her mind about him; one moment he was tender and gentle, the next he was obtuse and difficult to understand.

So she grabbed his hand, pulled him close, and hissed, "You are not going to get the better of me, Fai."

"Why don't we make it a bet?"

"Good lord!" Mei Ling snorted. "I know this; I've seen this in movies, on TV, in anime, even in books! We make a bet about falling in love. Yeah right. Or something about whoever loses has to marry the winner. Get real, Fai!"

"No, not falling in love," Fai's blue eyes were serious. "Just a simple bet. Whoever kisses the other first today has to obey the other for the next 24 hours. Short of humiliating, illegal, or sexual things, that is."

"What makes you think I'm going to lose?" Mei Ling snarled. So much for what she'd said earlier; she was already in the spirit of it.

"I didn't say that. For all you know, I could lose on purpose," he baited, and smiled when the innuendo resulted in her eyes flashing. Fai couldn't help it; teasing Mei Ling was too delicious, too good. And of course he had gotten the idea from where she had accused him of getting it from. She could protest all she liked about his corniness, but she obviously liked it. And what she liked, she would get from him.

"You're insane," she said in an almost awed whisper.

"Where you're concerned, I never said I wasn't," he grinned.

"You stupid..." Mei Ling's screech was cut off when Fai leaned over and captured her lips with his. He loved the taste of her, and was gratified when she twined her arms around his neck and deepened the kiss. Losing to her and being her slave for a day would be heaven.

And then he felt someone grab him, and send him flying across the cafe. Vaguely, he heard, "You asshole! Keep your hands...your lips off her!"

_**Ah, the jilted lover returns, **_Fai thought wryly, as he picked himself up, brushing himself off and apologizing to the diners whose table he had landed on. _**He's getting better at stalking her. **_Ouch, that had hurt; he knew he would have bruises on his back and ribs to match the one already blooming on his chin.

Mei Ling was staring at Florian, who was red in the face, and screaming at Fai, who was smirking back. The waitress, who had finally arrived with their breakfasts, was gaping; it wasn't every day two men came in to fight over a woman, after all. Mei Ling was, for once, mortally embarrassed; the situation wasn't in her control, and she had been enjoying Fai's kiss when he'd been ripped from her abruptly.

She balled her fists and turned to face Florian. "You want a black eye? Leave me alone!" Mei Ling brought her hand back to slap him again, but was caught in his arms. God he still smelled as good as he had all those years ago! And then his lips were crashing down on hers, his tongue was in her mouth...again, after all those years...

Fai watched quietly as Mei Ling melted into Florian's kiss. He wasn't as sure of himself now as he had been earlier, and so he walked over to the counter, left a large bill to cover the breakfast neither of them had eaten, and walked away, feeling a strong stinging in his heart.

If Fai had stayed just ten seconds longer, he would have seen Florian doubled over in pain. Mei Ling, her cheeks flushed and her eyes wet with tears, had kneed him in the groin.

"You have no right," she said in a low, quiet growl. "to walk back into my life and to fuck it up this way."

"I still love you, Mei Ling," he began.

"No. No you don't," she said. "If Fai wasn't in the picture you wouldn't even be here. You hate losing as much as I do. You just can't stand not being in control."

"That's not true," Florian said softly. "I was an arrogant, prideful ass in college. I know it was a horrible thing to do to you. But if you'd just give me a chance..."

"You can start by not giving Fai a punch every time you see him, because he means more to me now than you do." Mei Ling watched and saw her cruel barb sink in. She turned to look at Fai.

He was gone.

"No," Mei Ling whispered. "No!"

"See, he left you," Florian began desperately. "He doesn't love you the way I do."

"Good, because that would mean he didn't love me," Mei Ling flung back coldly at Florian, and she ran out of the cafe to find Fai.

Florian stood there, watching her go, and this time, he didn't chase after her. _**What can I do to make it up to you? **_he wondered.

* * *

No need to leave a review here if you liked it; please just click on my pen name and click on "The Getaway Girls" to see what happens next! Thank you for reading:D 


End file.
